Saving People Pays Off Sometimes
by redwolf96
Summary: When Harry saves the three witches of the Delacour family, he activates a rare Veela phenomenon. Now his life just got even more complicated and he has many things to figure out with little time to do so. Despite this, he's about to find out that saving people does pay of sometimes. Temporary hiatus. See profile for explanation.
1. Chapter 1

Saving People Pays Off Sometimes

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter or the world J. K. Rowling created.

This is one of my first fanfictions and I'm only doing this for fun. If you like it, read it. If not, that's okay. For this story, know that Fleur's father died a few years ago, but I'll give more detail about that later on.

AN: - S.P.P.O.S. – denotes a scene break

Chapter 1

"Boss, you have to wake up!" Dobby pleaded loudly as he shook Harry awake. The elf had been trying to wake up his master for almost five minutes. Out of frustration, he had to resort to physically shaking the wizard to draw him out of his slumber.

Harry bolted upright in shock, taking a few seconds to collect his bearings. "What time is it Dobby and where am I"

"You have 30 minutes until the task starts, because you stayed up too late and fell asleep in the Room of Requirement," Dobby informed him. Harry found this room – which he nicknamed the ROR – during his third year and had been using it as his secret hideout since then due to its ability to be almost any room he wanted. It could even form doors that exited into almost every part of the castle, except the professor's quarters and the dorm rooms.

Harry looked down at his watch to confirm that it was indeed 10:30 – 30 minutes until the task officially started at 11. He groaned as he realized his mistake of staying up so late. "Aww crap," Harry said, panic in his tone.

"Don't worry Boss, I got your swimsuit, dagger, and gillyweed ready for you. You just need to get dressed," Dobby said, calming his master. The elf wanted to feed Harry but knew that he couldn't eat since he had to go into the water for this task.

"Thanks Dobby, you're a lifesaver," Harry replied gratefully. He got up and went into the bathroom the ROR provided for him. He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth before throwing on the red and black diving shirt and shorts he got the other day for the task.

As he got dressed, he reflected on how good of a decision it was to bond Dobby to him. After he tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing the elf, Harry had asked what would happen to him now that he was free. This led to Dobby explaining how house-elves had to rely on either their master or mistress's magic or be bonded to a magical building to live. Not wanting Dobby to be forced to bond to someone that would mistreat him for the sake of survival, Harry bonded to the elf himself, though this bonding was different than normal. Instead of thinking of Dobby as a slave or servant, he saw the elf as his friend and the bond responded to that intent. This caused Dobby to become stronger, healthier, and grow a few inches while straightening his posture. It even improved his speech. Since that day Harry strove to treat Dobby as his friend, not relying on him for everything and giving him time off every week. He even managed to get the elf to call him "Boss" most of the time unless they were in public; it was "Master Harry" then.

Finally dressed, Harry had the ROR make a door that would exit out near the main entrance to help him get there faster. Dobby handed him the gillyweed and the dagger and wished him luck before Harry ran out of the door. The elf could only shake his head at his master.

\- S.P.P.O.S. -

Down at the dock by the Black Lake, the other three champions waited impatiently for Harry to arrive. The audience was also getting a bit restless in the stands that had been set up for them by the dock. There were two people who were more worried than the rest however – Fleur and Appoline Delacour. This morning, they woke up to discover that Gabrielle was missing and quickly figured out that she had been taken as Fleur's hostage for the task. Appoline, Fleur's mother, was incensed by this and wanted to tear into the judges for involving her six-year old daughter in this perilous tournament without her permission. However, she was conflicted because she didn't want to risk her daughter losing her magic if she interfered before the task was complete. Fleur managed to calm her mother down before Appoline did so, but she herself was just as worried for Gabrielle as her mother and wanted to start this task as soon as possible. The fact that it was the merpeople's voices singing from the egg only worried her even more. Veela and merpeople were sworn enemies after all.

Thankfully, Harry came running onto the dock 5 minutes before the task start time, skidding to a stop by Fleur's side. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

Ludo internally sighed in relief while smiling broadly on the outside. "It's alright Harry. The important part is that you're here now." Then he began explaining the task to them. They had an hour to find their "hostage" placed deep in the Black Lake in the merpeople village. Harry saw the worry he felt reflected on his fellow competitors' faces though the fear and sorrow on Fleur's bothered him the most. It took him a few seconds to realize why his friend was so upset.

"They took Gabby, didn't they?" Harry asked Fleur in a whisper. She nodded in response, anger flaring on her face for a moment. He realized it was because of Treaty of 1861 between the veela and the merpeople. The treaty had been signed to end a long and bloody war between the two enemy races. With a sinking feeling, he remembered that they were supposed to stay out of each other's territories to avoid killing each other. Now, because of this tournament, two veelas were somewhere they weren't supposed to be. _I really wish I could trust them to have taken all necessary precautions but unfortunately, I doubt that_, Harry thought bitterly. He made a vow to make sure everyone made it out alive, not caring about winning the stupid task.

"We'll get her out of there," he said confidently, trying to ease her worry. Fleur looked up at him but didn't have time to respond, because Ludo was gesturing for them to line up at the starting positions.

After Ludo informed the audience that the task was about to start, he began counting down from three. At three, a pop sounded out, signaling for the champions to jump into the water. Harry had to wait a minute for the gillyweed to work so he watched as Fleur and Cedric used the Bubble-Head charm while Krum did a partial transfiguration, turning his head into a shark's head with gills. Then the gillyweed started working and soon Harry was sporting flippers on his hands and feet and gills on his neck. He quickly dove in the water once the transformation was complete, heading for the merpeople village and hoping nothing bad would happen. He was thankful that he, Hermione, and Fleur managed to make a rough map of the lake and knew the general direction to head into.

About 7 minutes into his search, he came across Fleur who was surrounded by a swarm of grindylows. They were viciously clawing at her, and she struggled to get away from them, losing too much blood as they cut into her skin. Harry rushed to save her while also noticing a merman a few feet away, watching the attack with a cruel look of enjoyment on his face. _I guess any attempts to get the merpeople adhere to a temporary truce for the task failed, _he thought angrily. Harry sent several Ebublio jinxes at the grindylows, trapping some in bubbles before blasting them away from Fleur. Several of them tried to attack him as well, clawing at his legs. A few even managed to attach to his head, but he used the Revulsion jinx before they could really hurt him. Fleur was able to do the same to the few remaining grindylows around her. Then he swam over to her, ignoring the look of hate the merman sent his way for saving the veela, something Fleur also noticed. She sent her own glare back at the angry merman.

Harry looked over his friend in concern, seeing several lacerations along her body. "Fleur, you're hurt pretty badly. You need call for help to come get you," he said after sticking his head in her expanded bubble, though his neck was left in the water so he could breathe.

"Non! They 'ave Gabby and will kill 'er if I don't get 'er out of there," Fleur argued stubbornly, despite the immense pain she was feeling.

"You can't help Gabby if you're dead. I will get her out of here," he countered.

"You are injured as well. We would be more effective if we worked together," Fleur declared.

"No, they will try to capture you the moment you enter their village. If I go on my own, I will stand a better chance of getting her out of there before they can attack me or her. Besides, my injuries are minor while you're losing a lot of blood. You could bleed out before we even get there," Harry replied firmly, leaving no room for argument. "I promise you that I will save and protect Gabby with my life. She will get out of here alive." Fleur stared into his eyes for a few seconds, seeing the truth and determination in them.

"Okay, just be careful," she relented before sending out red sparks to signal that she needed help. She didn't want to leave but knew she would only slow him down in her condition. Harry hesitated for only a moment before leaving at Fleur's urging. Feeling even more urgency now that his fears were confirmed, he used the Aqua Eructo spell to propel himself through the water. _Why is the Wizarding world led by such idiots_? he thought angrily. He couldn't believe they would put two innocent people in so much danger. Well he could, but he was still furious about it.

_Don't worry Gabby, I'm coming for you_.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

Appoline was sitting in the bottom row of the audience stand on the side near the dock where the champions would appear. She was fretting terribly over every single minute that passed without her daughters coming out of the lake. After this task was over, she planned on ranting at every single person who thought it was a good idea to keep a veela hostage in a merpeople village. She was also worried about Harry, knowing first-hand his habit of putting his life in danger to save people. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

When the red sparks appeared from the water, she immediately knew it had something to do with one of her daughters. Getting up from her seat, she raced onto the docks hoping that they were alive. Her heart clenched as she saw the medics rescue Fleur from the water and bring her to the docks. She followed them as they went straight to the healer's tent, noticing all of the blood surrounding her and her barely conscious state.

Poppy, upon seeing Fleur's bloody and bruised body and after scanning her with a diagnosis charm, sent the medics to fetch Blood-Replenishing potions and Murtlap essence. Poppy cleaned up the wounds o before starting to close the lacerations up. When the medics returned with the supplies, Poppy had them help Fleur drink the potion while she applied the Murtlap to the cuts she had closed up. After about fifteen minutes, Poppy had finished her work and finally turned to address Appoline who had stood by with barely restrained impatience.

"She had twenty lacerations along her body, but I was able to close them up for the most part. She'll be sore for the next few days and will need to apply the Murtlap on the cuts twice a day," Poppy informed Appoline gently. "She'll be okay though."

"Thank you, Poppy," Appoline replied gratefully, moving to sit in the chair by Fleur's bed. The healer scanned over Fleur once more before leaving the two alone to have some privacy.

"Maman, I am sorry I failed Gabby," Fleur apologized profusely, tears rolling down her face. "I tried to get to 'er, but I was surrounded by many grindylows and they were able to overwhelm me. There was a merman watching the entire time, but it did nothing to stop them. I think it set the trap for me. If it wasn't for 'arry, I would have died."

"It is not your fault," Appoline assured her daughter. "You should never have been placed in a lake full of merpeople to begin with. They should have realized the danger violating the Treaty would put you and Gabrielle in." She had to take several deep breaths to calm down enough so she wouldn't act on the urge to send fireballs at all of the judges and organizers of the tournament. Again, she had Harry to thank and if he managed to save Gabrielle from danger, he would activate a rare phenomenon, though she didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. _I don't care what it activates. As long as Gabby is safe, I will deal with whatever results come from it_, she thought determinedly.

"I hope 'arry manages to get Gabby without getting himself killed," Fleur muttered. Since she arrived at Hogwarts, she and Harry had developed a close friendship, mainly because they had met previously at the World Cup after he saved her mother. Over many deep discussions, they found out they had a lot in common and both understood what it felt like to be ostracized for being different. When his name came out of the Goblet, Fleur knew that the young man who had so selflessly saved her mother couldn't have cheated to get into the tournament and came to his defense. Not wanting something to happen to him while he was forced to participate, she helped him train for the tasks, teaching him how to perform his spells nonverbally. Harry had even escorted her to the Yule Ball, though they only went as friends. Fleur had decided that Harry was too old for her spiritually for a romantic relationship to work between them. In spite of that, she truly valued his friendship and had a lot of faith in his ability to keep his promises. This is why she knew he would save Gabby.

"I hope so as well," Appoline said after a moment. When she was assured by her daughter that she would be okay by herself, Appoline exited the tent. Instead of going to sit in the stands, she marched toward the judges' box, intent on letting them know how pissed she was. Now that Fleur wasn't in danger of losing her magic, she could deal with those in charge of this idiotic tournament.

When Appoline arrived there, the judges and officials were talking amongst themselves about what happened to Fleur. They didn't realize her presence until she loudly cleared her throat.

"I demand to know who thought it was a good idea to place two veela in a lake full of merpeople. Have none of you heard of the Treaty of 1861?" she asked coldly, her voice cutting off all conversations. "The treaty where it explicitly states that Veela and merpeople are to _stay out of each other's territories or risk retribution_?" Appoline looked every single one of them in the eye as she questioned them – the three leaders of the school, Fudge, Ludo, and Mr. Crouch. The British minister was the first one to respond.

"Who do you think you are talking to me like that?" Fudge asked imperiously, trying but failing to be intimidating.

"I am the mother of the two veela whose lives you recklessly endangered for your entertainment. I am the mother whose six-year-old daughter you took as a hostage without my permission, something that equates to kidnapping," she snapped, causing Fudge as well as Ludo to become very nervous. They realized the legal implications that could result from her statement. Fudge was also a bit afraid of Appoline's intimidating posture and tone.

Dumbledore sat up as he tried to diffuse the situation. "Madame Delacour, I assure you that all possible precautions have been taken for the safety of those involved. I personally received the merpeople's word that a temporary truce would be established for the duration of the task." His attempt didn't work.

Appoline laughed scornfully. "Tell that to Fleur who was almost killed by an ambush of several grindylows set up by the merpeople. If it wasn't for Mr. Potter, she wouldn't have made it out alive."

"I understand that you are upset about your daughter's injuries, but that doesn't mean it was caused by the merpeople," Dumbledore chided condescendingly, thinking Appoline was allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement.

"It does when a merman watches it happen without attempting to help her," she argued, causing Dumbledore to become worried. Appoline's next statement only increased that worry. "I demand that you get my daughter out of that village immediately."

"We can't do that. It's against the rules to interfere in the task after it has started. If we do so, the other champions could lose their magic," Ludo said nervously, knowing the veela in front of him wouldn't like his answer.

Appoline was caught between a rock and a hard place, not wanting to risk the others losing their magic, but really wanting Gabrielle out of the lake as soon as possible. "Then you better hope that Mr. Potter is able to successfully rescue my daughter. If something happens to her, I will go to the ICW and explain the situation to them. I don't think they will be pleased to learn of your irresponsible actions and likely will call for an investigation into the handling and organization of this tournament," she threatened, fully planning on acting on it if necessary.

"Are you threatening us Madame Delacour?" Dumbledore asked, trying to assert his authority.

"That was a promise, not a threat," she replied fearlessly. Then she turned to Madame Maxine, an expression of supreme disappointment on her face. "I am most upset with you, Madame Maxine. I thought I could trust you to keep your own student safe, but apparently I was wrong." The Beauxbatons headmistress could only bow her head in shame, realizing how badly she had failed her student.

Then, without another word, Appoline walked back to the docks to wait for Gabrielle and Harry to return.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

Harry arrived at the merpeople village about fifteen minutes after he left Fleur and immediately began scanning his surroundings. The four hostages – Cho, Hermione, Ron, and Gabrielle in that order – were tied to pillars lined up in the middle of the village. He saw about fifteen mermen floating around them, noticing the looks of hate and disgust on their faces when they glanced at Gabrielle. They all had spears in their hands, looking every bit like the fierce warriors they were described to be. Harry tried to come up with a plan to save the little veela from them but realized he had to wait for the other champions to get their hostages before he could act.

After he had the situation fully assessed, he swam forward, stopping when he was about three feet away from the hostages. The mermen looked at him angrily but stayed put where they were. It was obvious that the merman from earlier had informed them of his rescue of Fleur. Instead, they watched him closely, ready for any attempt by him to save Gabrielle. When he refused to move from his spot and take his hostage, they got even angrier, snarling at him and baring their weapons menacingly. Harry only smirked in response.

Seven minutes after Harry got to the village, Cedric arrived and freed Cho. The Hufflepuff was curious about why he wasn't getting his hostage but kept going when Harry signaled for him to leave. Krum came three minutes later and tried to use his shark teeth to sever the bonds around Hermione. Thankfully, Harry was able to lend him his dagger before his friend was cut in half.

Now alone, Harry swam to Ron and began cutting through is ropes with the dagger while discreetly cutting through Gabrielle's with a low powered cutting charm from his wand. Then, he began to swim away with Ron pretending to leave Gabrielle there. When he was about ten feet away, he silently summoned her to his side, putting more power in it to get her to him quickly. When Gabrielle was in his arms, he realized that she was waking up and quickly cast the Bubble-Head charm around her so she could breath. She started to panic before recognizing that she was with Harry. His presence calmed her down quickly, though she had a confused expression on her face. It changed to one of fear when she looked back and saw that they were being pursued by angry mermen.

He didn't have time to reassure her because the mermen started gaining on him, some throwing daggers at him. He used the spell from earlier to propel himself through the water, but the weight of his two passengers slowed him down. Trying to slow down his attackers, he sent several Reductor curses at them, managing to knock six of them away and slow down the rest.

About five minutes later, Harry finally saw the surface, but the mermen were getting closer no matter how fast he tried to move. In an act of desperation, he sent Ron and Gabrielle to the surface before turning to face the mermen. Ron gained consciousness the moment his head broke through the water and he swam with Gabrielle to the dock after Harry urged him to get them both to safety. Then he began throwing as many spells at the mermen as possible to distract them from pursuing his friends. It was working well, and he managed to incapacitate another two of them.

Unfortunately, the hour ended, and he began reverting back to his normal form, the gillyweed no longer in effect. While he was distracted, one of the mermen managed to pierce him in the side with a dagger. An excruciating pain enveloped him because of the enchantments on the blade and he couldn't breathe. He began sinking down to the bottom of the lake as the mermen followed him, gloating at the pain he was in.

Desperate and not wanting to die, Harry reached out to his magic to get him out of there anyway possible. Just as he thought it was too late and that he had sunken too far down, he felt his magic respond, sending him shooting toward the surface of the lake. The mermen that were gathered around him screeched angrily, but he was moving too fast for them to stop him. They could only watch as raced upwards, shooting out of the water like a cannon.

While Harry was happy that he got away from the mermen, he still was too out of it to control his trajectory. If he didn't slow down, he was heading for a very painful landing. Thankfully, someone on the dock was paying attention to him and quickly drew their wand, slowing him down until he landed safely at their feet.

"It's nice to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances," Harry joked to the person who helped him.


	2. Chapter 2

Saving People Pays Off Sometimes

AN: Sorry about the delay but I'm still trying to figure out where I want this story to go. Once I do, I'll probably update it more regularly. Thanks to everyone who has read it so far.

Chapter 2

Appoline was pacing back and forth along the dock as she waited impatiently for Gabrielle and Harry to return. When Cedric and Krum arrived with their hostages, she sat on the edge of it, knowing that they had to be coming soon. After the longest fifteen minutes of her life, she finally saw two people emerge from the water and start swimming toward the dock – it was Gabrielle and Harry's friend Ron. She grabbed her daughter out of the water as soon as she was close enough, pulling the little girl into her lap to hug her tightly.

"Are you okay, mon bébé1?" Appoline asked in concern after quickly thanking Ron for his help. She looked Gabrielle over for any injuries and was grateful when she found none.

A few seconds later, Gabrielle pulled away from her, tears streaming down her face as she babbled incoherently. Appoline looked back toward the water and realized that Harry still hadn't made it out of the lake yet. "Where is Harry?" she asked Gabrielle.

"He saved me from the merpeople, but he's still down there," Gabrielle cried in response. "We have to get him out of there. They'll hurt him."

Appoline was about to do just that, when she saw a figure shoot out of the lake like a cannon and she knew it was Harry. Then he came crashing down toward the dock with no signs of slowing. Quickly, Appoline rose to her feet and drew her wand before casting a nonverbal Arresto Momentum to slow his descent. She stopped when he was safely on the floor in front of her feet and knelt down so she could look him over. She was horrified by the dagger sticking out of his side along with the lacerations and blood all over him.

"It's nice to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances," Harry joked to Appoline, though his voice was filled with pain.

She didn't know how he was still able to joke when he was in so much obvious pain but didn't have time to dwell on that. Since she was a fully qualified healer, she didn't wait for the medics to reach Harry, instead levitating his body herself. With Gabrielle following behind her, she carefully walked him to the healer's tent, ignoring the protests and comments of those around her. When she got there, she quickly closed the door so no one else could get in before laying Harry down on the nearest empty bed. She sent Gabrielle to sit by Fleur, who was in the bed next to him while she worked to heal Harry. Poppy joined her seconds later, closing the curtains behind her.

"Madam Pomphrey, he's going to need a Blood-Replenishing potion, Dittany, and some Murtlap," she stated firmly. Poppy, knowing Appoline was a healer and sensing the urgency in her tone, went to retrieve the items while the Veela carefully removed his shirt and scanned his body to see the full extent of his injuries. Miraculously, the dagger hadn't pierced any of his organs, blood vessels, or nerves, but she could see the enchantment on it that amplified the pain he felt. When Poppy got back with the supplies, Appoline began working to remove the dagger, going slowly to avoid nicking anything, while Poppy worked on his other cuts and lacerations.

Harry, who was still conscious as the healers worked on him, remained silent. Though he was in a lot of pain, he didn't regret his actions because he was able to save Gabrielle and Fleur. Instead, he got lost in his thoughts to distract himself and began thinking back to the first time he met Appoline and her daughters.

Flashback Start

It happened during the attack after the World Cup. Harry was running around in a panic trying to find Ron and Hermione, who he got separated from, when he heard a female voice shouting in pain. Immediately he ran toward the source, stopping when he got close enough to see without being noticed. There was one woman on the ground surrounded by six men with lecherous looks upon their faces. Harry quickly used his air elemental powers to push the attackers away, managing to hit three of them with an overpowered Flipendo jinx as they sailed through the air. It knocked those three out cold. When they were taken care of for the moment, Harry rushed to the woman's side, helping her to stand.

"Are you okay madame?" he asked in French, guessing her nationality.

Pleasantly surprised at his knowledge of the language, she responded in a thankful tone. "I am thanks to you. They managed to catch me off-guard." She was going to say more but was cut off by three of the men getting back up as well as seven more joining them, having heard the commotion. As if they had done this before, the two of them simultaneously turned to face their opponents, wands at the ready.

"If you think you can take our prize from us, you're mistaken!" one of the men shouted angrily.

Harry, already able to tell that the woman was most likely a Veela, bristled at the comment. "I'm not the idiot who thinks this _woman_ is a prize to be won," he stated coldly. Before the men could respond, he sent two blasting curses at them, starting the fight. Harry and the woman worked as a team, almost reading each other's minds as they fought and defended each other. At one point, they were back-to-back, moving around in a circle while deflecting the spells sent at them.

After about twenty minutes of fighting, all of the men were incapacitated. Harry and the woman had just finished tying them up and breaking their wands when another attacker stumbled onto the scene. He managed to sneak up on them and send a cutting curse at the woman without her noticing it. Harry did however and was able to jump in front of it before it reached her, getting hit across the right side of his chest. Upset, the woman sent a Blasting curse at the man, sending him into a tree and knocking him unconscious. Then she hurriedly kneeled down by Harry's side, carefully cutting his shirt open to look at his injury.

"Hold still, I'm a healer," she declared as she scanned his body to see the extent of the injury. Thankfully it wasn't too deep, though it would need stitches due to the dark nature of it. She pulled out the magical equivalent of a first aid kit that she always kept with her at all times just in case of emergencies, grabbing the needle and thread out of it. "I have to stitch up your chest to fix the cut, but you will be okay. I don't have anything to numb it however, so it will hurt. I'll try to be as fast as I can be," she told him gently as she cleaned the area up.

Harry grimaced, but nodded in acceptance. "Don't worry about me. Just do what you have to do." He stayed completely still as she fixed him up, only grunting in pain a few times, something that made the woman a bit worried that he was accustomed to pain. It took ten stitches in total before she had it fully closed up. Then she applied some Essence of Dittany and Murtlap Essence to it before covering it up.

"There you go. You'll want to see another healer to get some more of the salves, though, since it'll probably take a few days before it fully heals," she stated when she was finished.

Harry nodded in acknowledgement and sat up. "Thank you for your help Madame," he replied. "Are you okay?" he asked, his expression morphing into one of concern.

The woman was surprised by the compassion in his voice. He didn't even seem to be affected by her Veela allure, something she wasn't able to fully control at the moment due to her racing emotions. "I am thanks to you. Healing you up was the least I could do since you jumped in front of a curse for me." They both stood up before the woman continued talking. My name's Appoline Delacour."

Harry held out his hand to her, which she immediately took. "You're welcome Madame Delacour. I'm Harry Potter and I wasn't going to let those arrogant, misogynistic, pureblooded prats hurt you because of their mistakenly believed superiority." Harry had a fierce look on his face as he thought about what those men would have done to her if he hadn't been around to help. "Anyway, we should get to the forest before anyone else is dumb enough to attack us."

After only taking a few steps, Appoline surprised him by grabbing his arm to stop him and pulling him into a hug, being gentle to avoid aggravating his injury. A few seconds later, her shoulders shook as she began crying when she realized just how close she had come to dying. Harry, a bit uncomfortable with the situation, still managed to comfort her by rubbing his hand up and down her back softly, keeping his hands in appropriate territory.

Five minutes later, she pulled away, embarrassed by her behavior. "I'm sorry, I just…if I had died, my daughters would be all alone. They have already lost their father two years ago, they can't lose me too."

"No apology necessary Madame Delacour. You were upset for your daughters and you were in a very dangerous situation. There's no need to be embarrassed by your tears," Harry replied reassuringly.

She laughed, a sound Harry was a bit entranced by. "You sound very mature for someone who is only fourteen, Mr. Potter."

Harry shrugged. "I've experienced some things in my life that make me this way," he replied. "Anyway, we should really get to the forest to find our respective parties. Don't want to keep them waiting for too long." Nodding in agreement, she let him lead the way, falling into step beside him.

"So, how many daughters do you have?" Harry asked while they walked.

"Two. My oldest is named Fleur and my youngest is Gabrielle. They are 17 and 6. Fleur is my serious child. Sometimes I think she's too serious, but she has a good heart, even if her aloof exterior would suggest otherwise. Gabrielle, or Gabby as we call her, is definitely my wild child. She loves to play and enjoy life as much as possible, though she is usually pretty shy around strangers. They are definitely my whole world and I wouldn't trade them for anything." She turned to face him, a smile on her face. "What about you? Tell me the true story about the great Harry Potter," she teased.

Harry laughed at that. "I don't know about the great part, but the world definitely doesn't know the truth about me, not the important parts at least." He became serious, encouraged to open up a bit about himself to her for some reason. "My childhood wasn't the best. I was placed with my mom's sister and her family, but they don't like magic, or anyone associated with it, though I did have a mentor of sorts to make things a little better for me. Then I was thrust into a magical world where everyone knew my name. They…they have all of these expectations of me and blame me when things go wrong. It was really overwhelming at first, but I eventually learned to ignore it. I even managed to make some friends, Ron and Hermione. We've been through quite a lot together, some of it bad, but most of it good. We tend to cause a bit of mischief, though it's usually not our fault. Usually." Harry chuckled, thinking about the situations they got themselves into. "My life is pretty complicated, but I try to make the best of it."

She watched him the entire time, picking up on the implications of his short summary. From what she gathered, he seemed to have been abused by his "relatives" and mistreated by the society he lives in, yet he turned out better than any wizard she's ever met. There were very few wizards that would willingly rescue a veela without wanting or expecting something in return. He even was able to resist her allure, something she finally had managed to gain control of now that she had calmed. She did wonder why the savior of the wizarding world had been allowed to be mistreated so badly, but decided to table that conversation for the moment, instead asking about something that's been bothering her since the battle. "How did you do that thing with the air during the fight?"

"When I was younger, I always knew I was different because I could sort of bend the air to my will. Turns out, I'm an air elemental and it's a rare ability. I've been working on it for a while, so I can do quite a bit with it by now," he explained before asking a question of his own. "You're a veela, aren't you? That's why those men were trying to attack you."

"Yes, we are unfortunately very misunderstood and oftentimes we get assaulted by others because of it," she admitted. "I was trying to find my daughters when they ambushed me. I…I don't think I would have made it out of there unharmed without your interference. For your selfless bravery, I think you have earned the right to call me Appoline."

"Only if you call me Harry," he replied, holding his hand out which she shook in agreement. "I tried to learn more about veela in school, but the books there are written by purebloods with biased opinions. Do you think you could tell me more about what being a veela means and what your capable of? I just like to learn more about the different magical beings in this world is all," he asked respectfully.

Appoline knee-jerk response was to say no, but the sincerity in his voice changed her mind. "I could do that. We could exchange letters so you could ask me any questions you have."

Harry smiled. "Thanks M…Appoline," he replied gratefully before looking around and realizing they had reached the forest. Appoline was about to say goodbye, but he offered to stay with her until she found her daughters. The concerned manner he gave the offer in convinced her to accept his offer of help. They walked around for a few minutes, calling out the names of her daughters before getting a response. Together, the two turned in the direction of the voices to see a little girl and a young woman running towards them.

"That's them," Appoline told Harry before running to meet them. Harry stood back to allow her to properly reunite with her children.

Appoline grabbed both of them into a tight hug when she finally reached them. They spoke in rapid French, that was too quiet for Harry to pick up, to make sure each other was okay before she led them back over to where he was standing.

"This is the young man that helped me get away from my attackers. Fleur and Gabrielle, I'd like you to meet Harry Potter," Appoline introduced.

"It's nice to meet you both and see that you're okay," he replied before being almost tackled by Gabrielle who grabbed onto his leg. He knelt down so he was eye to eye with her.

"Thank you for saving Maman, Harry," she said, pulling him into a hug. Gabrielle knew he was the boy-who-lived, but from that moment on she would know him as the wizard who brought her Maman back to her. Appoline and Fleur were surprised by her actions not used to her taking to strangers so easily, but Harry only hugged her back.

"You're very welcome, Gabrielle," he replied gently. After a few moments, Gabrielle finally let him go and went to stand by her mother.

"I want to thank you as well," Fleur stated a second later. "It is good to know that at least some wizards still have true honor."

Harry was about to say something else but was interrupted by the sound of someone calling his name. He turned around to see Hermione and Ron rushing toward him. "Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. It was nice meeting you," he said. They said their goodbyes and promised to keep in touch via letters before going their separate ways, Harry and Appoline sparing each other one last glance.

When he reached Hermione and the Weasleys, he was still thinking about her.

Flashback End

After about ten minutes, Appoline had the dagger safely removed and the wound cleaned. She had to stitch it up because the enchantments made the wound resistant to magical healing. Then she applied Dittany and Murtlap to the cut before placing a bandage around it. Poppy meanwhile had finished cleaning and healing the rest of his injuries which thankfully were minor and easy to heal. They had him drink the Blood-Replenishing potion to be on the safe side as well before opening up the curtain around his bed.

"Am I gonna be okay?" Harry asked when the two healers were finished.

"Yes," Poppy began, "you will be fine. Despite how bad it looked, most of your injuries were minor and the dagger didn't hit anything vital. It will likely be pretty sore for the next few days, but it's nothing life-threatening and the pain will go away on its own. I want you to stay here and rest for half an hour, but you can leave after that." When she saw the smile on his face, she went to reprimand him. "You don't have to look so happy about it."

Harry laughed softly, mindfully of his aching side. "Sorry Poppy. You know I love to come visit you, but not when I'm sick or hurt," Harry replied teasingly. She rolled her eyes at him. "Thank you for fixing me up yet again," he stated sincerely.

"You're welcome as always," she replied, just as sincerely before leaving his bedside, promising to come back when his half an hour was over.

"Thank you as well, Appoline," Harry said, turning to the veela who hadn't moved yet.

She gave a dry chuckle. "Bonté gracieuse2, Harry. I should be the one thanking you. Yet again you have saved my family at the risk of your life for no other reason but because it was the right thing to do."

Harry shrugged. "It's part of my saving people thing, at least that's what Hermione calls it."

Fleur interjected from her bed before her mother could respond. "Whatever it is, I am thankful for it. If it wasn't for you, Gabby and I would be dead."

Gabrielle, realizing that it was safe to approach him, ran to Harry's bed, jumping on it to get into his arms. Appoline was about to scold her daughter until she saw her shoulders shake as she began to cry. Harry, who had become very protective of the little girl in his arms, held her tightly while whispering reassurances into her hair. He had become close to her after all of the letters and pictures they had exchanged, bonding over their love for art and Harry would do anything to keep her safe and happy. The two of them sat like that for over five minutes until he was able to calm her down.

"I was so scared you were going to die. Are you gonna be okay?" Gabrielle asked tearfully.

"Don't worry, it'll take more than some angry fishmen to stop me. I'm going to be just fine, especially since I know you're okay," he replied confidently. Gabrielle buried her face in his chest for a moment as he turned to look at Fleur. "How are you feeling?" he asked her, hoping she wasn't suffering too much from her injuries.

"Much better now. I'm a bit sore but I'll be fine with some sleep," she assured him. "Thank you for keeping your promise and saving our lives."

Harry gave her one of his lopsided smiles. "That's what friends are for."

Before anyone could say anything else, the door to the tent opened, emitting Ron and Hermione. All of them, including Gabrielle who turned around in his lap, looked up at the newcomers

"Harry are you okay? What happened down there? Why were the mermen chasing after you?" Hermione asked all of these questions in one breath as she walked up to his bed. Ron stood back, a bit overwhelmed by the presence of three veela.

"I'm fine, just a little sore and Treaty of 1861," he replied.

"Oh," Hermione said, understanding immediately what that meant, though Ron was clueless.

"Yeah, they didn't take too kindly to me saving their young hostage from death. I also had to help Fleur because one of them ambushed her with a swarm of grindylows," he said, anger creeping into his voice.

"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked in frustration.

"Honestly Ronald, you should pay more attention in Hagrid's class," Hermione replied in exasperation. "The Treaty of 1861 ended a long and deadly war between veela and merpeople. It explicitly stated that both races were to stay out of each other's territories." When he still looked confused, she had to explain to him that Fleur and Gabrielle had technically broken the rules of the treaty by entering the Black lake. Appoline listened approvingly as Hermione correctly explained the situation.

"You'd think they'd have forced the merpeople to accept a truce," Ron remarked when he finally understood.

"They probably tried, but obviously a stern talking to from Dumbledore and the rest of those in charge wasn't enough to calm several centuries of hate," Harry noted bitterly.

"You're correct Harry. Your headmaster tried to, but as we've seen, the merpeople didn't hold their end of the bargain," Appoline remarked. "I've made him aware of the foolishness of that plan. He's lucky

you and Gabby are alive, or I would go through with my promise to tell the ICW about it."

Harry laughed as he thought about Appoline scolding the leaders and representatives of the three countries like they were children. "You'll have to show me the memory one day."

Ron, finally getting over his discomfort, stepped forward and described the chaos that happened after Harry came shooting out of the water. He also informed them that Harry got 50 points while Fleur got 40 points for the task since they were put in "unexpected" danger.

While Ron talked, Hermione went quiet as she observed Harry's interactions with the Delacours. She knew he had been exchanging letters with them since the events of the World Cup, but this was the first time she saw him with Appoline and Gabrielle in person. She could tell he was close to them from the little bit of the letters he told her about, but seeing them together, she realized just how strong the bond was. Gabrielle obviously looked up to and felt safe around him since she was firmly ensconced in his lap. Appoline had a lot of respect for him and treated him like the young man he was instead of a child, something Harry likely appreciated after everything he's seen and been through. She already knew how close he was to Fleur since they had immediately formed a connection since the foreign schools arrived and been friends since. They even went to the Yule Ball together, though both claimed it was just as friends.

Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she was jealous of his friendship with the whole family, afraid that he would leave her for the Delacours. It wasn't because they were veela however. She didn't agree with the world's opinion of them. No, it was due to their closeness to him and the fact that he didn't always go to her when he had a problem anymore. That's why she was thankful when Poppy came back to clear both Harry and Fleur as fit to leave, giving them some Murtlap and Dittany to continue rubbing on their cuts until they fully healed before sending them on their way.

When they were outside, Appoline thanked Ron once again before pulling Harry to the side and discreetly putting a ward around them to prevent eavesdropping. Neither noticed the dark look that crossed Ron's face as they walked away from him. "There is something we need to discuss, but first I have to talk to my daughters about it. Would you mind meeting me for dinner so I could explain it in private?"

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked in concern.

"The events of today activated a phenomenon related to my heritage. I promise I will tell you everything you want to know about it, but later," she said cautiously.

Harry nodded, trusting her. "Alright, I'll meet you in front of the carriage at around 6:30? I know a place where we can go without being found or followed.

"Yes, that will be fine," she agreed. She dispelled the ward before walking with her daughters back to the carriages.

"What did she want?" Hermione asked suspiciously. Ron had already gone ahead back up to the castle, leaving the two of them alone. Harry wondered why he left them but had something else to deal with at the moment.

"I think it's time we had a discussion," Harry said, ignoring her question for the moment. Tired as he was, he was even more tired of Hermione's attitude when it came to the Delacours. He'd noticed the way she watched the three veela while Ron was talking and how distant she been toward him anytime he got a letter from them or hung out with Fleur. It was time to get to the bottom of it.

He led her all the way to the ROR, changing it into a small sitting room with two comfortable chairs facing each other. When they were both seated, he made sure the door disappeared and scanned for animagi before he began talking. After Rita Skeeter wrote a story about a conversation which she shouldn't have been able to know about, he had been cautious about making sure his conversations were private.

"What is your problem with the Delacours?" he asked piercingly. "Do you believe what others do about veela or is it something else?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Harry. You know I don't believe in the stereotypes of others," she replied evasively, hoping he would let it go.

Harry didn't drop it however. "Do I? Then explain why you're so distant around them. What have they done to you?"

Hermione, still unready to talk, became defensive. "I'm just not sure of their intentions when it comes to you. You have a big heart and I don't want you to get hurt."

Harry scoffed at her. "That doesn't sound like you don't believe in the stereotypes. What do you think they're trying to do to me then? Do you think they want to seduce me?"

"Of course, I don't think that," she countered.

"Then what is it, because you clearly have a problem with them?" Harry asked angrily.

Hermione sighed, but finally answered his question honestly. "I'm afraid that I'm going to lose you to them. I…I feel like you don't need me or my friendship anymore now that you have them." She looked down in shame as she admitted her insecurity, a few tears falling from her eyes.

Harry took a deep breath to calm down before he said something he would regret. "You're being ridiculous Hermione. I'm always going to need you in my life. You're the closest thing I have to a sister and nothing's going to change that except you. Yes, I feel very close to them, but it's because I've been in a life and death situation with them. You of all people should know how that can impact a relationship. After all, we became friends after fighting a mountain troll together and our later adventures only made it stronger."

Hermione looked down in shame. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sure they'll understand if you apologize and explain how you were feeling. They're really good people if you take the time to get to know them."

"I will. I'm sorry for doubting you. I should know you well enough to realize that you are much too loyal to end our friendship just because you have other friends," Hermione said in self-chastisement.

"It's okay Hermione. Just talk to me about it next time," he said before surprising her by pulling her into a hug. "You'll always be my friend, no matter what." Then he pulled away. "Now, I need to get back to the dorm room so I can take a shower and then a nap before I have to meet with Appoline. And before you ask, I don't know what she has to talk about, but I will tell you about it later, I promise."

Hermione nodded before helping Harry back to the Gryffindor common room. She felt better now that their friendship was secure once again and cursed herself for almost letting her insecurities get in the way of that. _I won't let that happen again, I promise._

1 – mon bébé means my baby

2 – Bonté gracieuse means goodness gracious


	3. Chapter 3

Saving People Pays Off Sometimes

AN: In this story, Sirius gives Harry the mirror for his fourteenth birthday. He also goes to Grimmauld Place a year earlier and takes over the wards on the property, including the Fidelius charm. He makes himself the secret keeper and convinces Remus to come stay with him.

* * *

Chapter 3

Appoline led them straight to the guest room she and Gabrielle were staying in once they got back to the Beauxbatons carriage.

"Maman, did I feel what I thought I felt," Fleur asked when they were sitting on the bed. She was facing her mother and Gabrielle, who was in their mother's lap.

Appoline sighed, knowing what Fleur was referring to. She had felt her magic recognize the "bond" forming as well. "Yes, the Veela Debt has been activated. Because you and Gabrielle are still considered immature until you turn eighteen, saving your lives counts as saving my life. Harry has done so three times for no reason except because it was the right thing to do. He knew we were Veela, and after I answered some of his questions, he understands much of what we're capable of. Yet, he wants absolutely nothing from us except to be our friends. His actions, his reasons for rescuing us were pure. Our magic recognized this and activated the Debt because of it."

Gabrielle looked up at her mother in confusion. "Is that why I felt funny inside after Harry saved me?" she asked.

Appoline nodded. "Yes, that is exactly why."

"Is something bad going to happen?" Gabrielle asked worried, picking up on the nervous tension in the room.

"I don't think so, but our lives are about to change," Appoline replied cautiously, not wanting to frighten her daughter. "Harry has to make a decision that will strongly affect our family."

"Harry won't do anything to hurt us," Gabrielle declared firmly. The faith she had in her hero was strong and it gave her mother and sister hope as well.

"I think Gabby is right. He's never done anything to hurt us before, so there's nothing to suggest that he would do so now," Fleur pointed out.

They sat in silence for a while, Appoline stroking Gabrielle's hair gently, as they tried to come to terms with the events of today. The young Veela, tired from the excitement of the day began to drift off before finally falling asleep. Appoline moved her under the covers before turning back to her oldest, nodding in agreement to her earlier statement.

"Yes, Harry is definitely the noblest wizard I've ever met," Appoline noted. "I don't think he knows how not to do the right thing. Even if he has to suffer consequences because of it, he still chooses to do what's right," she mused. "I guess I'll find out if we're right about him when we have dinner in a few hours." She noticed the exhaustion and pain on Fleur's face. "You need to get some sleep as well. I'll make sure that dinner is sent up here for both of you while I'm gone."

"Yes Maman," Fleur replied before getting into the bed without complaint. She was sleep within a few minutes. Appoline watched over them as they slept, thankful that they were still alive.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

Once inside of the Gryffindor common room, Harry had to loudly announce that he needed a nap after his ordeal during the task to get people to leave him alone. He was finally able to make it to his dorm room and take a shower after ten minutes of yelling with help from the Weasley twins. Harry was surprised that Ron didn't follow him but set that to the side for the moment as he went to lay down on his bed. Just as he was about to go to sleep, his two-way mirror – a gift Sirius had given him for his birthday so they could talk without having to use the floo or send letters – began to beep, signaling that his godfather was trying to call him. While he contemplated ignoring the call, in favor of getting some well eared rest, he knew Sirius and Remus were probably worried about him. With a sigh, he answered it.

"Hey pup! What happened in the task?" Sirius asked impatiently, getting straight to the point. Remus was standing next to Sirius, shaking his head at his friend's impatience.

"It's a bit of a long story, but before I begin, you should know that I am fine, just a bit sore," Harry began seriously.

"What do you mean? Did you get hurt?" Remus asked in concern.

"You'll understand in a moment," Harry replied before launching into a description of the events of the task. He told them about waking up late, something Sirius laughed at, learning about the hostages being held in the merpeople village, and his rescues of Fleur and Gabrielle. He had to explain what the Treaty of 1861 was for Sirius's benefit and both men were upset that no one took it seriously enough to find a better place to put the hostages. Sirius and Remus were very angry with Dumbledore and the rest of those in charge by the time he was finished with his story. They couldn't believe that they would be so reckless with the lives of the champions and the innocent hostages. When Harry told them about Appoline going off on those in charge, they laughed and agreed that they wanted to see the memory of it one day.

"I think I'm starting to agree with Hermione about your saving people thing pup. You can't help but save those in need," Sirius remarked when Harry had finished telling the story. "You have even worse luck than your father did."

Remus shook his head. "I'm just glad that no one died. You were very brave down there, cub. Your parents would be proud of you."

"Thanks guys," Harry replied before hesitating to continue.

"What's wrong cub?" Remus asked, noticing it.

"There's something else, but I don't know the details just yet," Harry began answering. "Appoline, she said something was activated after I saved her daughters, something that had to do with her being a veela. She didn't say anything else, but I have this feeling that my life is about to change and get even more complicated. We're having dinner together to discuss it."

Sirius smirked, unable to resist teasing his godson. "So, you and Madam Delacour are having a private dinner, huh? It seems like the two of you are pretty close now." Harry blushed at the implication. "Maybe she wants to _personally_ thank you for saving her daughters."

Remus smacked his friend on the back of the head. "Can you be serious for once in your life. You know as well as I that most veela aren't like that," he scolded.

Sirius shrugged unrepentantly, though he did stop teasing Harry. "Sorry pup, I couldn't resist. Anyway, I can understand why you would feel that way with the luck you have," Sirius agreed. "Plus, with magic, you never know what you're gonna get or how it's going to interpret your actions. For all you know, it could have formed a bond between the two of you." The man didn't know just how close to the truth he was.

"Whatever it is, just remember that she is your friend and we're here to help you through it no matter what. Just try and get some rest for now and deal with it when the two of you have dinner. The best advice I can give you is to keep an open mind and if you have to make a decision, follow your heart," Remus said reassuringly.

"Yeah, with a heart like yours, it likely won't lead you wrong," Sirius concluded.

Harry thanked the two men for their advice and support before ending the call. Then he summoned Dobby to him. "Hey, Dobby, Appoline and I need to have a private dinner to discuss something. I already know it'll be in the ROR, but I'm too tired to make a meal. Could you please set something up, preferably a French meal?"

"I will take care of it, Boss," Dobby agreed.

"Thanks Dobby. I need it ready by 6:30. Oh and can you make sure everything else looks nice. I'll set the room up, but I need you to handle everything else. This is probably going to be a difficult conversation and I just want her to at least be in a comfortable place when we talk about it."

Because of their bond, Dobby could tell that Harry's magic was responding to a foreign bond, though it was not fully formed just yet. He didn't mention it though, knowing it was Appoline's job, not his. "Don't worry Boss. You just pick the room setting and I'll take care of everything else." Harry nodded in thanks before Dobby popped away to start working on his master's command.

Satisfied that he had done all he could for the moment, Harry set an alarm on his wand for 5:30 before laying down to try and get some sleep. Surprisingly, he drifted off after a few minutes, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up with him.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

Harry woke up from his alarm to find a set of clothes laid out for him on the bed. It was a casual outfit with a dark red shawl collar pullover, a white t-shirt for underneath, a pair of khaki pants, and some brown loafers. He silently thanked Dobby for the elf's thoughtfulness, knowing that he had transfigured the clothes for him. _I really need to go shopping one day_. Then he went to the bathroom to freshen up and change his clothes before making his way to the ROR, grabbing his jacket on his way out of the dorm room. Thankfully, Ron was not in the common room, so he didn't have to worry about anyone asking him uncomfortable questions.

When he arrived at the entrance to the ROR, he thought for a moment before pacing in front of it three times. Inside, the room was decorated like a small, but quaint, French restaurant with windows looking out at a night in Paris. The color theme was warm and inviting with cream walls and dark brown furniture. A small table with two chairs was in middle of the room in front of a roaring fireplace. Dobby popped in the room as Harry was looking around, making sure it was okay.

"What do you think?" Harry asked his friend when he was done with his inspection.

"I think it's almost perfect Boss, just needs a few adjustments." Dobby placed a red table cloth on the table. Then he set two glasses on both sides, one with wine and one with water, some ornate dark brown plates, and candles in the middle of the table, giving it a slightly romantic feel. The meal Dobby had chosen was salmon en papillote with asparagus and he placed it on the table. "Now it's perfect."

Harry was a bit nervous that it was giving off the wrong message. "Are you sure all of this is necessary?"

"Trust me Boss. Madame Delacour will like it," Dobby promised.

"If you say so. Could you pop me there and back, so we aren't seen?" Harry asked. Dobby nodded in compliance. They looked around the room, making sure everything was good one last time before Dobby popped him away.

Harry landed in the trees nearby, brushing himself off before he stepped out of them. Appoline was waiting for him in front of the carriage wearing a black cardigan sweater, with blue jeans and black suede boots that came up to mid-calf. He had to almost physically stop himself from ogling her, not understanding how she made such a casual outfit look so good. _Back down hormones, I need to be serious right now_. After taking a few deep breaths, he was able to calm down.

He only had to walk forward a few more steps before she noticed him, meeting him halfway. "You look nice," he commented when they were standing a couple of feet apart.

"You do as well," she replied.

There was a bit of an awkward silence before Harry finally broke it. "Dobby will take us to the place we're going for dinner." Said elf appeared at that moment and grabbed both of their hands so he could pop them back to the ROR.

When they got there, Appoline looked around in wonder. "Where are we?" she asked in awe. It looked like they were in Paris.

"Would you believe that we're still in the castle?" he asked rhetorically before explaining what the room was. "It's called the Room of Requirement or ROR for short. I found it last year and have been using it since. As far as I can tell, this room can become almost anything you want if you can imagine it. It's even capable of making doors that exit out of almost every place in the castle. I'm pretty sure no one knows about it because if they did, it would never be empty. I've only told Hermione about it, so you're the first person besides her."

"I'm honored that you would show me such a valuable secret and I promise that I will keep it safe," she replied before looking around the room once more. Noticing the slightly romantic atmosphere, she decided to tease him a bit. "It is a bit romantic in here. I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea earlier." She giggled at the blush that appeared on his face. _A young man you may be, but you still have the hormones of a teenager._

Harry spluttered for a moment before he was able to respond coherently. "I…Dobby may have gotten a bit carried away," Harry replied embarrassedly. "I just told him to make it nice and I figured you would be more comfortable in a more familiar setting." He was rambling a bit as he got flustered.

Appoline laughed. "I'm just messing with you Harry. The gesture was very thoughtful and is appreciated," she replied gently. "It might make this conversation easier, but let's enjoy our meal before we get into that." She left out the fact that if he chose the option she hoped he would, than the setting was more than appropriate. Harry pulled out her chair for her before sitting down in the other one.

The meal was delicious, and they kept the conversation light. Harry shared a few funny stories from his time at school while Appoline talked about some of the interesting cases she saw as a healer. However, there was an undercurrent of nervousness that could not be ignored no matter how hard they tried. Harry even drank some of the wine, a first for him, to help calm himself down. Appoline would have laughed at the face he made during his first sip if she wasn't just as unsettled.

Finally, when they had finished eating and Dobby cleared the table of all dishes except for the glasses of water that he refilled, Appoline took a deep breath before beginning the difficult conversation. "Harry, I know I've been teaching you about veela, but there is something I haven't told you about yet, mainly because it's a rare phenomenon," she began nervously. "It's called the Veela Debt and it only happens under some very specific circumstances. The origin of it has been lost in time for over two millennia, though we know it was formed as a punishment. How it is activated is passed down to every Veela before they become mature at eighteen."

Harry had a sinking feeling in his stomach. "How is the Veela Debt activated?"

"When a wizard saves a veela's life and/or her daughters' lives – if they're still immature – three times without any thought of a reward and at the risk of theirs lives. It has to have been a real-life threatening situation for the veela and the wizard and the wizard's reason for helping has to be purely because it's the right thing to do."

"You're saying that because I saved you, Fleur, and Gabby, I activated a Veela Debt?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes," Appoline admitted. "It formed between you and I since both of my daughters haven't yet reached their maturity. I felt it form the moment Gabrielle was out of danger and both of my girls felt it as well, though to a lesser degree."

"What does it mean for us?" Harry asked after a moment.

"It means that you have four options to choose from to resolve it." She took another deep breath, knowing this was the hard part. No matter how much she didn't want to burden him with this, she knew Harry deserved her complete honesty. "First is to reject it and the bond takes my magic as payment. Second is to bond me as your servant where I will be completely subject to your will. Third is to take one of my daughters as your servant, also subject to your will. And fourth…fourth is to marry me. We would have to be married within four months from today and it would have to be officially recognized by law. During the marriage, we would perform a ritual to satisfy the Debt."

Harry stood up, walking toward the window. He already knew which option he would choose. There was no way he would do anything to hurt any of the Delacours. While Appoline wouldn't die without her magic, she could never be a magical healer again. The second and third options were out of the question as well. He refused to make anyone his slave. The only reason he bonded to Dobby was because he didn't want the elf to die or end up with someone who would mistreat him like the Malfoy's or worse. House-elves had to be bonded to a witch, wizard, or a magical building because they lived off of their magic.

That left marriage as the only viable option, but he didn't know how to feel about that. After everything he had been through, he hadn't been sure if his luck would hold out long enough for that. He'd been convinced that he would die before he could get married or have a family. Now though, it was staring him right in the face. _How am I supposed to be ready for this in four months? How am I supposed to be a husband when I haven't even been on a real date?_ he thought in frustration. Even at the Yule Ball, he and Fleur went as friends to avoid taking someone who only wanted them for their fame or abilities. He didn't know who established this Veela Debt, but it definitely wasn't done for the benefit of the Veela or the wizard that saved them.

Harry was so focused on trying to wrap his head around it, he didn't notice Appoline get up from her chair and walk toward him until she placed her hand on his shoulder, startling him a little.

"You don't have to do this. While the third option is completely out of the question, I will accept if you choose the first or second ones," Appoline remarked sincerely.

"No, I won't do that to you," Harry asserted.

Appoline sighed. "I could learn to live without magic." Harry shook his head. "Even if I was your servant in name, you wouldn't treat me like one,"

"No!" Harry shouted, causing Appoline to take a step back. Harry turned around to face her. "I'm sorry for yelling, but I won't make you a slave and I won't take your magic away," he insisted.

"Harry, you shouldn't have to throw away your choice just because you saved me and my daughters. You deserve someone better than an old widow. You should have the chance to choose who you want to spend the rest of your life with," she argued.

Harry shook his head vehemently. "You shouldn't have to be a slave or lose your magic for something that wasn't your fault. I…I know this isn't something either of us have much of a choice in, but I'm not going to take the easy way out for myself if it means you suffer." He stepped closer until there was about a foot of space between them. "I'll marry you. That's my choice."

Appoline smiled sadly. "You are too noble for your own good Harry," she stated before she pulled him into a hug, whispering into his ear as a few tears fell down her face. "Thank you, so much Harry. I can't promise you the love you deserve, but I will be the best wife I can be for you. If nothing else, at least you'll have someone who will always be by your side." Harry hugged her back, unsure of what he was getting himself into, but knowing that it was the right choice.

After a moment, Harry had a realization that caused him to pull away from Appoline. "What's the matter?" she asked in concern.

"Wait, this is gonna make me Gabby and Fleur's step-father!" he shouted in panic.

Appoline, overwhelmed by all of the emotions of the day couldn't help but start laughing. A minute later Harry joined her, both sinking to the floor. They leaned against each other as they laughed uncontrollably for several minutes.

"This is a mess," she exclaimed when they finally got it out of their systems. "But we'll get through it together, I promise."

"Together," he agreed.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

The two of them had agreed to meet for breakfast in the morning with Fleur, Gabrielle, and Hermione before going their separate ways. Harry asked Dobby to pop her directly into her carriage, something he chastised himself for not thinking of earlier, and told her he would have Dobby pick her up from there at 7 the next day.

While Harry was able to go straight to bed, Fleur and Gabrielle were waiting for Appoline when she arrived and immediately began asking questions. She held a hand up to slow them down. "One question at a time," she lightly scolded them.

"What did he decide?" Fleur asked a moment later.

A small smile appeared on Appoline's face as she answered the question. "It seems that you will have a step-father in less than four months. He chose to marry me."

Fleur, while she knew it would take some time to get used to the idea, was happy that her mother wouldn't be forced to be a slave or lose her magic. Gabrielle on the other hand was ecstatic and nearly bounced into her mother's lap.

"Harry's gonna be my Papa," she asked excitedly.

Appoline couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, technically he will be."

"Do you think he will let me call him Papa?" Gabrielle asked.

Appoline shrugged. "You'll have to ask him at breakfast tomorrow, which we'll be having with him and Hermione privately to talk about everything." Appoline laughed as she imagined his reaction to Gabrielle running into his arms screaming "Papa".

"He really is as noble as he seems," Fleur remarked. "It will be weird at first, but I am glad he chose marriage."

"Me too," Appoline would take some time and they had a lot of things to work through, but she had a good feeling about this. She went to sleep wondering what life with Harry would be like.


	4. Chapter 4

Saving People Pays Off Sometimes

AN: I really meant to finish this during the weekend, but I've been sick for two weeks, so it was hard to concentrate on it. Also, I may be a little late with the next chapter since I have to catch up with some things I've been neglecting while I was sick, but I'll try and finish it as fast as I can.

* * *

Chapter 4

The next morning, Harry met Hermione in the common room having sent her a note last night to tell her what time they were meeting for breakfast.

Before Hermione could start bombarding him with questions, he held his hand up to stop her. "I'll tell you everything when we get to the ROR," he stated firmly. Hermione nodded in acceptance and they walked out of Gryffindor Tower. Since it was only a few minutes after 6, the hallways were empty, and they didn't run into anyone on their way.

Once in front of the entrance, Harry stood there for a moment, trying to think of a configuration for the room. Hermione watched him quietly while he thought and soon, he had made a decision. After pacing three times, a door appeared and Harry held it open for Hermione, ushering her inside. She looked around in approval at his choice, thinking it was a good setting for the meeting. The walls were a dark beige with white trim. There was a dark brown, round table big enough to fit all of them which sat about ten feet from the kitchen. A nice-sized island sat in the middle of the kitchen with plenty of space for prep work and there was a large oven, stove, and a sink on the wall. To the left of the dining area, there was a large sectional in front of a fire that would be perfect for talking after they finished eating.

"Nice choice, Harry," Hermione remarked.

"Thanks. I wanted to make it comfortable," he replied as he led her over to the sectional.

"Okay, what did Madame Delacour have to tell you?" she asked once they both were seated.

"Alright, but you have to promise not to say anything until I'm done. Also, you're not allowed to tell anyone about it without my permission," he stated.

"I promise, though you're starting to make me worried now," she said warily.

"You'll understand in a moment," he promised. Then he began reciting everything he and Appoline talked about. He explained what the Veela Debt was and the four options he had to resolve it. As he told her how Appoline tried to give him a way out of the burden of marriage, her opinion of the woman increased greatly. _She really isn't trying to use him at all_, she mused, her pledge to apologize for her behavior strengthened.

When he was done, Hermione could only shake her head at her friend and brother. "Let me get this straight. Since you saved the lives of Mrs. Delacour and her daughters, who are immature Veela, you activated this Veela Debt?" When Harry nodded, Hermione continued. "So, because of some phenomenon that was created over two millennia ago – most likely a curse put on the Veela by someone who didn't care for them – you have to get married in four months or Mrs. Delacour will lose her magic" Harry nodded again causing Hermione to pinch the bridge of her nose. She had to take a deep breath to calm down before she could speak again. "Marriage at the age of fourteen to an older woman you're just beginning to get to know? How do you get yourself into these predicaments Harry? Or better yet, who did you piss off in a prior life to get this fate?" Hermione said in exasperation.

"I have no idea. It's not like I went looking for trouble. All I did was save the lives of those who needed it because it was the right thing to do and I was able to do it. Now, not only am I getting married, but I'm essentially becoming a father! All in less than four months! How am I supposed to do this without messing up? I haven't even been in a proper relationship before," Harry exclaimed, finally voicing some of the panic that had been building up inside of him since Appoline told him about the Debt. When Hermione didn't immediately reply, he got agitated. "How are you not freaking out about this?"

"I am freaking out internally, but right now I need to be calm to help you," she retorted. "Look I understand that you're scared, and you have every reason to be, but panicking won't help anyone." When she had his attention, she continued. "The first thing I need you to do is take a deep breath and calm down. Second, you have to realize that you will mess up, but that's okay. If Madame Delacour is as amazing as you say, then she is just as worried and nervous about this situation as you are. She doesn't expect you to be perfect and she knows how young and inexperienced you are in this area of life. This will be something both of you will have to work through and figure out together, which will take time. Plus, I'll be here for you anytime you need to talk. I may not know much about relationships, except for what I've seen from my parents, but I am a bit knowledgeable about women."

As he took several deep breaths, he realized that his friend was right. "Okay. Thanks for calming me down and always being there for me Hermione. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Probably fail horribly," she teased.

"I'm not that bad," he protested.

She only shook her head at him, an amused smirk on her lips. A moment later, another issue came to her mind. "I know you won't want to tell Dumbledore about this, not after everything he's done or failed to do for you and the school…"

"Wait," Harry interjected, unable to contain himself, "did I just hear Hermione Granger say the headmaster's first name without any honorifics?" Harry was smirking at his friend until she swatted at his arm.

"Shut up Harry," she complained. "It's just I've been thinking about everything we've been through since our first year and I realize that he doesn't have your best interests in mind. Honestly, he doesn't have the best interests of the entire school in mind and I will no longer blindly believe or follow him," she admitted sadly. "If we told him about this or he found out somehow, he would likely try to stop it because this takes away his control over you."

"Yes! I've managed to corrupt you!" he exclaimed. Then he held out his hand to her and whispered, "Welcome to the grey side Hermione."

She could only shake her head at him, though she did shake his hand. "You're incorrigible. Anyway, the reason I was bringing that up is because we might want to consider telling a professor we trust to help hide your comings and goings. Planning a wedding and spending quality time with your soon-to-be family means you're going to have to leave the school several times. It would be better if we had someone on our side who could cover for you."

"It should be Professor McGonagall then," Harry stated after he thought for a few minutes. "We'll have to be cautious, but she's proven that she can stand up to Dumbledore to defend me more than once and she's been giving me private lessons since our second year. Her being the Deputy Headmistress and Head of our House is a bonus."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, you can send a letter to meet with her after dinner tonight. That way Dumbledore won't be able to learn about and try to crash it." Harry agreed and they sent a short note asking for her to meet with him secretly about an urgent matter after dinner in her office, sending it with Dobby.

The elf returned a few minutes later, letting them know that Professor McGonagall agreed to the meet with him at 8 tonight. Then Dobby looked at his watch and noticed the time. "Boss, it's 6:44. What did you want me to get for breakfast?"

"Actually, I'm going to cook breakfast myself. I'll need things to make pancakes – blueberry and chocolate chip – with a fruit salad. I also want to make my hot chocolate." Harry knew that pancakes were something the Delacours enjoyed so he figured it would go over well with them. Plus, croissants took more time than he had at the moment.

Dobby nodded, already knowing the ingredients Harry used. "Right away Boss. I'll bring the Delacours here and then grab the stuff you need."

Hermione shook her head at the elf as he popped away. "What have you done to that elf to make him that way?" she asked in mild curiosity.

Harry shrugged, seeing nothing unusual about Dobby. "All we did was watch American movies. He just picked up a few mannerisms from them is all."

Hermione didn't have time to ask more about the unique house-elf because Dobby returned with all three Delacours in tow. Gabrielle didn't waste any time, running straight for Harry, her arms open wide. He had to use his quidditch reflexes to catch her, spinning her around a few times for good measure. She giggled happily at his actions.

"Harry can I call you Papa?" Gabrielle asked when they were stationary.

He spluttered in response to the unexpected question. It surprised him how easily Gabrielle seemed to accept the news that he would be marrying her mother and he hadn't even thought about what she would call him. He tried to look at the three witches for help, but they gave him none. "Umm…if you're okay with it, that's fine with me," was his eventual response.

"Yay! My Papa is the best wizard in the world!" Gabrielle exclaimed, causing a warm feeling to fill Harry. Her words only reaffirmed that he had made the right choice.

When the moment had passed, Hermione stepped forward nervously, though her head was held high. "Before we begin, I need to apologize for my standoffish behavior to the three of you. I want you to know that I never believed in the negative stereotypes that others have of you because you are veela. It's just that…well Harry is the first real friend I've ever had. He sees me for me, and I was worried that I was losing him to you. You're the first people I've ever seen him take to so easily and it made me forget that Harry's heart is more than big enough to fit all of us in it. I allowed my fear of losing my best and first friend overrule my judgement and I treated you with suspicion that you didn't deserve. I hope you will give me a chance to fix my error and earn your forgiveness." She remained standing where she was, ready to accept whatever decision they made.

Appoline chose to answer first. "Harry is a very special young man and I can understand your fear of losing his friendship. He hasn't told me many details about you out of respect for you, but from what he has shared, I've gathered that you have been bullied for your love of learning." Hermione nodded in response before Appoline continued. "As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing to forgive. You have realized your mistake and apologized for it. You are still young with much to learn and I will not try to get in between what is obviously a strong friendship over a misunderstanding. Also, please call me Appoline."

"I also forgive you," Fleur declared. "I have to admit that I did not make it easy for you to trust me or become my friend either. Due to the way I have been treated by others, I tend to portray myself as aloof and standoffish as a defense mechanism. However, even though I could tell you were jealous, I never felt you believed in the malicious descriptions of my people. Now that we are practically going to be family, I would like to be your friend. I feel we have a lot more in common then we realize." She held out her hand, hoping Hermione would accept the gesture.

"I would like that as well. I could use a true female friend," Hermione replied shaking the hand that was offered.

"It's nice to meet you Hermione," Gabrielle said. She had gotten down from Harry's arms during Fleur's speech and was now standing in front of Hermione with her arms held out for a hug.

"It's nice to meet you as well Gabrielle," Hermione replied, getting down to Gabrielle's level so she could hug the little girl.

"Well, now that everyone are friends, I'm going to get started on breakfast," Harry announced after a moment.

"You can cook?" Appoline asked in surprise.

"I dabble a bit," he replied humbly.

"That translates into, 'I'm a master chef' for him," Hermione remarked, knowing how much he tended to understate his abilities. She also knew that he was a very talented cook, having tasted his food before.

"I'm still right here you know," Harry exclaimed, though there was no anger in his tone.

"You know it's true Harry. You're the master of understatements," Hermione rebutted teasingly.

"I'm not that bad," Harry muttered quietly. They all heard him though and chuckled at him good-naturedly.

Meanwhile, Appoline saw this as an opportunity to learn more about her soon-to-be-husband. "Would you mind some help?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied simply. They both walked to the kitchen area of the room while the other three went to sit at the table. Fleur had to stop Gabrielle from following Harry, telling her that the new couple needed some alone time so they could learn more about each other. Gabrielle agreed only because she hoped it meant they would fall in love.

Once Harry and Appoline got to the island, Dobby popped in with the supplies. "I got everything you wanted Boss," he informed them.

"Thanks Dobby. Do you want to stay for breakfast?" Harry asked politely.

"Nope, I've got a date with Winky, but thanks for the offer," Dobby said before popping away.

Appoline was surprised by his interaction with Dobby and asked him about it. He explained how he came to be the elf's master and how he bonded Dobby to him as a friend instead of a slave and his magic's reaction to that intent. He didn't know it, but his esteem just went up in her eyes.

"How is your side feeling today? Did you reapply the salves and change the bandage this morning?" she asked him in concern. The look Harry had on his face made her realize he hadn't. She shook her head at him before telling him to lift up his shirt so she could tend to his injury. "Really Harry you have to take better care of yourself," she complained.

Harry laughed lightly as he complied with her order. "Well, I guess it's good that now I'll have you to make sure I do so." She smacked him lightly before focusing on his cut, though a small blush formed on her cheeks at the implications.

They were both quiet as she cleaned up the residual blood from it, applied the necessary salves, and reapplied the bandages. Harry tried to ignore the warms shivers her hands sent through his body as she rubbed the salves in. She felt them, though, but decided not to tease him about it this time. When she was done, Harry pulled his shirt back down before beginning to work on breakfast.

"Do you want to cut up the fruit while I prepare the pancake batter?" Harry asked when he spread out all of the ingredients.

"I can do that," she replied, and they began working.

At first, they were silent, trying to get used to being in each other's presence now that they would be wed soon. They took this time to examine each other in a way they hadn't allowed themselves to before.

Appoline was realizing just how attractive Harry was to her, even if he was a bit young. His skin was tanned, and his messy hair gave him a roguish look that appealed to her. His face was starting to mature and lose the baby fat, and she could see the beginnings of a goatee forming. It was hard to tell through his baggy clothes, but without his shirt on she had seen the muscular frame on his slim body. His muscles were taut and defined especially his arms. In fact, Appoline couldn't help but imagine how those would feel wrapped around her body.

Out of all of his appealing features however, it was his eyes that drew her to him the most. They were a deep emerald green, intense, and filled with so many complex emotions, too many for someone so young if you asked her. There was pain, anger, sorrow, and frustration, but kindness and determination shined the brightest. In his eyes, she saw the chance for a better future and the hope for more than just a marriage of friendship. She hoped that was real and not just her imagination, because regardless of how willing she'd been to give up her freedom to spare Harry last night, she still wanted the chance to fall in love.

Harry, on the other hand, already knew he found Appoline attractive due to his teenage hormones preventing him from fully ignoring it. Her long, white-blond hair was wavy with plenty of definition in it and he wondered how it would feel to run his hands through it. That contrasted well with her fair skin that was soft and smooth, lacking any blemish at all. Her face was angular but not hard, giving her a soft look. She wasn't paper thin – something he was glad about. Instead, she had a lithe but curvy figure. She wasn't delicate though. Harry could see the toned muscles of her arms and knew that she took care of herself physically from their letters.

Her eyes were beautiful as well, cerulean blue in color. They were so expressive and open, and he could see her love for life and her family reflected in them. He also detected a sadness that she tried to hide, and he hoped that as her husband, he could erase it. It was her smile that he loved the most however. It had so many different forms – from mischievous to sincere, and for some reason, it never failed to draw him in and brighten up his mood. He knew he was completely out of his depths with this new and unexpected situation, but he thought he could make it whenever she smiled at him.

"You didn't tell me about your ability in the kitchen Harry," Appoline called teasingly after several minutes of silence.

"I'm alright, I guess. It's nice to cook for people who will actually appreciate it though," Harry replied. "Well, at least I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure it will be just fine," she assured him. "I take it you were referring to the Dursleys," she added cautiously.

Harry looked up from his work, a sad expression on his face. "Yeah. Life with them was unpleasant at best. I had to learn early to hide my true self and feelings around them and others while they treated me like a slave. They…they beat me often, for any reason they could think of, no matter how trivial. I was never able to drop my guard around them. It got a little better once I started at Hogwarts, but they didn't stop mistreating me, even going as far as to lock up my things during the summer. That's why I was so against making you my slave. It would make me feel like I was becoming like them," he admitted.

"Is that why you don't buy yourself clothes of your own?" she asked gently, not wanting to upset or offend him.

Harry nodded. "I didn't want them to know how much money I really have. They'd have tried to make me give it to them."

Appoline frowned but gave him a determined expression. "But now you don't have to worry about that. Regardless of how it happened, now you have your freedom from those _people_. You will never go back there, and they have no say in your life any longer so you can make your own choices as you see fit," she replied fiercely. "If you'd like, I can take you shopping. You deserve to wear clothes that fit you and your personality," she ventured, hoping he would let her do this for him.

"I'd like that very much," he answered, a small but genuine smile upon his lips.

She returned his smile. "Good, we can go next weekend." Appoline asked who taught him how to cook next, getting him to open up about his mentor.

"Her name is Lisette and I met her when I was 8," Harry began as he prepared the blueberries and chocolate chips for the pancakes and heated up the griddle. "She lived 3 houses down from me and noticed that the Dursleys were mistreating me. So, to help me out, she asked Vernon if she could pay me to help her around the house. Greedy pig that he was accepted the offer without question. She taught me how to cook and bake all kinds of things, mainly French, Italian, and American meals, and even had me learn the languages."

Appoline was impressed, planning to get Harry to show her these culinary skills often. She was also happy that he had someone who showed him kindness as a child – a break from his relative's hatred. "She sounds like a great woman."

"Yeah, she is. Lisette's a squib, so I'm able to talk to her about things that happen to me when I'm in school. She's my only refuge in Surrey," he explained before laughing as a thought popped into his head. "I wonder what her reaction to all of this will be."

"You'll have to let me meet her then," she declared.

Harry nodded in acceptance. "I think she'll like you." The griddle was ready by then, so he started cooking the pancakes while Appoline watched since she was done with the fruit salad. "So, what about you? What was your childhood like?" he asked, wanting to learn more about her as well.

"Hmm…It didn't start off the best," she began after a few moments. "My father, he…" she trailed off as she hesitated to share the painful memory.

Harry stopped what he was doing to turn and face her. "You don't have to tell me about it if you're not ready," he said gently.

Appoline took a deep breath before continuing. "No, I want to tell you, it's just not something I talk about often. My mother was raped by my father. She managed to get away from him after it happened and thankfully, I've never met him. She always likes to remind me that I was the one good thing that came out of that night."

"I'm sorry you and your mother had to go through that," he said gently.

"It could have been worse, but thank you for your concern," she replied before continuing her story. "Anyway, my mother was all I had for a while. I didn't make any friends until I started school, but my childhood is something I look back on fondly. My mother made sure I knew how to enjoy life and have fun, even if I was alone." Harry went back to cooking as she kept talking. "School was hard for me, though not any harder than other veelas. As you know, we are looked on with distrust and jealousy by witches and with lust by wizards, making it hard to have friends or at least get along with others. Some of the teachers showed this prejudice as well, making it even worse. My only saving grace was my friend Paulette. She made school bearable for me and I thank her for it every time I see her." Then she gave a small laugh. "She'll have a field day when I tell her about this."

"Yeah, I wonder what my godfather and surrogate uncle's reactions will be too," Harry said, laughing with her.

"I wonder what my mother will say," Appoline mused. She laughed even harder when she saw the look of panic on Harry's face at her comment. "Don't worry Harry. I'm sure my mother will love you."

"If you say so," he replied, unconvinced.

"If it makes you feel any better, I plan on going to see her today to talk about it. I can put in a good word for you." When Harry still didn't look convince, Appoline pulled him into a hug. "You're a good man Harry. As long as you be yourself, she'll see that."

Feeling a bit better but still nervous, he went back to making the pancakes. After a moment, Appoline asked him to show her how he flipped them, having not made pancakes before. She always took her daughters out to eat them and had never learned to do it on her own. Harry agreed and had her stand in front of him as he guided her hand and wrist in the necessary motion to flip them properly. They were so focused on their actions that it took a moment for them to realize just how closely they were standing, with barely a few inches in between them. Surprising themselves, they didn't try to move away until the last pancake was flipped over, though it did cause Harry to blush.

Fleur and Hermione saw the interaction and looked at each other with knowing smiles on their faces. "At least we know they're physically attracted to each other," Fleur remarked. Hermione nodded in agreement. The two of them had spent their time getting to know each other, learning that they both loved charms and arithmancy. They almost got into a deep discussion on the subjects, but Gabrielle interrupted them, changing the topic back to things the six-year-old could understand like places they've been and things they did as a child.

Finally, Harry and Appoline had everything ready, including the hot chocolate and a pitcher of water, and brought it to the table. The witches eagerly filled their plates and mugs before tasting everything.

"These are delicious Harry," Appoline exclaimed.

"Yes, I think you'll have to keep him if he cooks everything this well, Maman," Fleur remarked, causing everyone to laugh, including Harry.

"See, I told you it meant he was a master chef," Hermione declared. "You really should cook more often Harry."

"Papa is the best cook ever," Gabrielle declared happily, chocolate smeared all around her mouth. Everyone couldn't help but smile at her cuteness.

Harry, blushing at all of the compliments, replied in a humble tone. "Glad to know you all like it." They all spent the next fifteen minutes in silence enjoying their meal.

When they were done, Appoline suggested they move to the sitting area to start discussing their next plans. Harry sat down in the middle of the sectional with Gabrielle in his lap while Appoline sat to his right. Hermione and Fleur sat on either side of the trio, Hermione on Harry's side and Fleur on her mother's.

"Okay, we need to figure out where we go from here. We have less than four months to plan a wedding. We also have to decide who we will tell about it and when," Appoline began.

"It has to be kept secret for as long as possible. If too many people find out about it, they'll try to interfere or prevent it from happening," Harry pointed out. "I do want to tell Professor McGonagall, though, if you don't mind. She has my complete trust and as the deputy headmistress, she can help me hide my comings and goings from Dumbledore. I also need to tell Sirius, Remus, and my friend Lisette. I'm not quite sure about telling Ron yet, though."

"He might not react to it well," Hermione admitted. "He's already proven that he has jealousy issues and you marrying a beautiful woman at 14 might not go over well with him."

"I think I'll play it by ear with him then. We can try and talk to him today to kind of sound him out before we make any decisions," Harry decided after a moment.

"That sounds like a good plan. As for your professor, if you believe she will be able to keep it from Dumbledore, I will trust your judgement," Appoline agreed. "I only have my mother and Paulette to tell on my side. I think we should meet with all who we decide to tell in person and together, so we can start getting to know each other before the wedding. Maybe meet with them separately at first and then try and plan a way for us all to meet together."

"Okay, we need to plan out what weekend days to do the first part then and we can worry about the second part afterwards. Plus, we have a shopping trip to go on," Harry agreed.

"Can I come too?" Gabrielle asked. Harry looked at Appoline, unsure how to respond to that. It was Fleur who answered the question however.

"Gabby, Maman and Harry need to go shopping alone to spend some time together," she told her sister gently.

"You can come when we go to meet everyone though," Harry promised.

"Okay Papa," Gabby compromised. She really wanted her Maman and Papa to fall in love and was willing to let them be alone sometimes to make it happen.

"You should also go to Gringotts Harry. Being married means you'll be considered of age," Hermione proposed. "You might even be able to get emancipated now."

"I agree," Fleur stated. "The goblins handle emancipation in special cases. I'm not completely sure about this, but I believe they might consider you automatically eligible for it without needing anyone's permission due to the Veela debt."

"You could finally hear your parents' Will," Hermione noted. "And, you would be free to make your own decisions even earlier, something that could make it easier for us to hide this."

"Okay, you two are definitely alike," Harry observed, a bit afraid of what they would come up with as they got closer. "I'm convinced though. When should we do all of this?"

"It should be as soon as possible. We don't have the luxury of time, so some things will have to be rushed," Appoline pointed out.

Hermione thought for a moment before coming up with a plan. "Okay, what about this? Next Saturday, you go to Gringotts and see Sirius, Remus, and Lisette afterwards. Then on Sunday, you can go to France and meet Appoline's mother and friend Paulette and go shopping afterwards. That way you will get everything in either country done on the same day."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said, the rest agreeing that it was a good plan as well. "Alright, the next thing we need to figure out is where you and Gabrielle are going to stay. If we're to have time to get to know each other, you have to be close by without arousing suspicion. I want us to get to know each other in person instead of through letters."

"I don't think anyone will find it odd that Appoline wants to stay close to the school after yesterday," Hermione noted.

"Yes, in fact, some might find it odd if I did leave after my words yesterday," Appoline remarked. "If anyone asks questions, I'll simply say that I'm keeping a closer eye on my daughter's welfare. And don't worry about my work. I can portkey from here to there easily and Paulette can watch Gabby for me." She turned to look at Harry. "I agree to wanting to get to know you through in-person interactions as well."

"Good, I don't want to inconvenience your life if we can avoid it," Harry said in relief. "I can look after Gabby sometimes too if you need me to," he offered, wanting to spend more time with the little girl that would soon be his daughter.

"I think that's a good idea," Appoline said, understanding his unspoken meaning. "I'm sure Gabby would love to spend more time with her Papa."

Said little girl nodded enthusiastically and hugged Harry in happiness. "I'll take that as a yes," Harry laughed. "Now we just have to find somewhere for you to stay."

"You might be able to find a remote place in Hogsmeade," Hermione suggested.

"It's also possible that the Potter's have an isolated property somewhere nearby," Fleur remarked. "If you really do get emancipated now, without having to wait for the official marriage, you would have access to all of your family's assets, including properties."

"I'll guess we'll have to wait until we visit the bank then, but I think it would be good to look into any possible properties in Hogsmeade just in case," Harry concluded, everyone else nodding in agreement.

"I will look into that," Hermione volunteered.

"Now we just have to start thinking about what we want at the wedding," Appoline declared after a moment of silence. "I can do most of the planning if you'd like, but I want you to at least start thinking about what you might want. It's your day too."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "I can do that. I may be out of my depth in this area, but I could at least help you with it. I don't want you to have to do this entirely on your own."

Appoline was a bit surprised by his mature answer and gave him a smile. "Thank you, Harry."

"I'll help you too Maman." Fleur promised.

"Me as well," Hermione added.

"I want to help too!" Gabrielle exclaimed.

"Of course, you can Gabby," Appoline said happily, pulling the little girl into her arms. "I could use all of the help I can get."

After that, they wrapped up the conversation. They all agreed that everyone that they wanted to inform about the situation should be told today so they weren't caught off-guard by the meeting. Appoline let them know that she was going to see her mother and Paulette alone, so Harry and Fleur agreed to watch over Gabrielle for the day. She did promise to be back before dinner to go with Harry to meet with Professor McGonagall. Harry and Hermione planned on meeting up with Fleur and Gabrielle at lunch so that they could take care of telling Sirius, Remus, and Lisette as well as talking to Ron. Once everything was decided, the Delacours were popped backed to the Beauxbatons carriage while Harry and Hermione left the room.

There was still had a lot to figure out, but everyone left the room feeling less anxious about the unexpected situation.


	5. Chapter 5

I really apologize for how long it took me to update this. As I explained on my other story, I had a lot going on for the past 4 weeks and was able to dedicate much time to writing. Thankfully, everything's starting to settle down so I should be able to get back on schedule from no on. Thanks for patiently waiting.

This chapter is pretty long, but it has a lot in it and some new characters are being introduced. Hopefully you enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 5

Harry and Hermione made their way towards the Great Hall to find Ron, knowing he would likely have just started eating since it was a few minutes after eight. They took a few shortcuts to make their journey faster. Ten minutes later they were walking down the hallway near the grand staircase. As they turned the corner to reach the entrance to the room, they were slightly surprised to see Dumbledore standing at the door.

"I bet he's waiting for me," Harry whispered sarcastically to Hermione.

"He probably wants to know why you weren't at dinner last night," Hermione suggested.

"Think if I turn around, he'll leave me alone?" he asked hopefully, not wanting to deal with the headmaster at the moment.

"You know your luck isn't good enough for that to happen. You might as well get it over with now. I'll go find Ron so we can meet up when you manage to get away," she replied, nudging him forward before he could try and escape.

Harry sighed, knowing she was right. "Fine, but I'm not promising to be on my best behavior if he annoys me too much."

Hermione shook her head at him. "Try not to get into too much trouble." Harry's smirk didn't give her much hope that he would heed her warning.

"What's he gonna do, expel me?" Harry asked rhetorically before squaring his shoulders and walking over to Dumbledore. Hermione shook her head again before going into the Great Hall without a word or glance to the headmaster.

"Harry," Dumbledore greeted once Harry was standing in front of him, "I need you to come to my office to talk about the events of yesterday." He used his "grandfather" persona, something that annoyed Harry quite a bit, though the man didn't realize that.

Harry stifled his immediate response that would have been full of sarcasm. "Shouldn't I eat breakfast first, Professor?"

"I promise that the meeting won't take up too much of your time," Dumbledore replied, cutting off Harry's attempt of delaying the meeting. Then he started walking toward his office, expecting Harry to follow along behind him. Harry was sorely tempted to walk in the opposite direction but managed to restrain himself. Reluctantly, he followed behind the man while internally using some colorful words to describe exactly how he felt about this meeting he was being forced to attend.

Once they arrived into the office, they both sat down in their respective chairs across from each other. "Could I interest you in a lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered.

"No thank you Professor. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Harry asked a bit impatiently, trying to get this talk over with.

"How are your injuries feeling today Harry?" Dumbledore asked to start.

"Much better, thanks to Madame Delacour and Madam Pomphrey," Harry replied.

"I would like to apologize for the injuries you sustained during the task. I had very severe words with the merpeople for their actions yesterday."

"Like you did before the task? No offense Professor, but you should have known better than to send two veela into a merpeople village. The hostility that exists between the two races wasn't going to go away just because you asked them nicely." Harry's tone was sarcastic.

"I understand your anger over what happened, but I can assure that no harm was intended. It was an honest mistake."

_Yeah right_, was what Harry thought, but what he said was, "I do not think that the Delacours will see it that way. Especially since you did not get Madame Delacour's permission before using her 6-year-old daughter as a hostage."

"You seem to be very close to that family." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, signaling that he was trying to use subtle legilimency on Harry. Unfortunately for him, he could not discern anything from Harry's surface thoughts.

Internally, Harry smirked at the man, having felt the probe. "Well seeing as I have been developing a friendship with Fleur since she got here, I think it's only logical for me to care about her family."

"Yes, you seemed to become quite close to Ms. Delacour very quickly. It's almost as if it wasn't the first time that you met her."

"We simply have a lot in common. Both of us know acutely what it's like to be mistreated due to something that isn't our fault."

"You went to the Yule Ball together, though. Are you sure your relationship is purely platonic, or is there more to it?"

"We're only friends, though that's not really any of business."

"Yet even Madame Delacour was very defensive of you when she made her grief known to us."

Harry smirked at him. "Maybe it's because I'm the only one who took the risk to her daughters' safety seriously enough. Plus, I did promise Fleur that I would get Gabrielle out alive. Fleur likely relayed that promise to her mother who would have appreciated that I was willing to risk my life for her daughters."

Dumbledore wasn't convinced but decided to drop the subject for the moment. "Very well. I am glad to see that you're embracing the spirit of the tournament and making international friends. Now I have something else to ask you. Why did you not come to dinner last night?"

"I don't see how that should concern you, sir. I made it back in time before curfew."

"I am your headmaster, of course it concerns me."

"Really, so you take this kind of interest in all of your students?"

"I am only worried about your well-being after the injuries you sustained."

"Oh, now you're concerned about me. You weren't so concerned when you failed to prevent my name from coming out of the Goblet."

"You cannot blame me for that Harry. I tried to protect all of the students from being entered into the tournament against their will."

"Like you've been protecting the school for the past three years. Luring a professor who was possessed by Voldemort into the school. Keeping the school open when a monster was attacking the students. Allowing the Ministry to post dementors around the school, knowing that they aren't the most trustworthy creatures seeing as they have a tendency to follow dark wizards. Forgive me for having very little faith in your ability to protect me or anyone else for that matter."

"Harry, where is this hostility coming from."

Harry scoffed derisively at the man. "You really should be able to figure that one out on your own."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll give you one hint – the Dursleys."

"I understand you and your family…"

"Don't call them my family because they aren't," Harry snapped before he took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Look I really don't want to discuss your delusions about how they treated me right now. So, if you don't have anything school related to discuss, then I'm leaving."

"I need to know why you didn't attend dinner last night."

"I didn't want to and that's all I'm going to say about it. Besides, there's no rule against missing a meal every once in a while." Harry stood up and walked toward the door as he said this.

When he was about to exit the room, Dumbledore stood up to his full height to look intimidating, his tone stern and commanding. "We are not done talking about this."

"Yeah, we are," Harry replied walking out the door without another word.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

While Harry was dealing with a troublesome headmaster, Hermione was observing Ron and his behavior was causing her some concern. He was being distant, barely saying more than a few words to her yet talking openly with Seamus and Dean. She tried to engage him in conversations, but he would only give one-word answers before turning back to the two boys. Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she had a bad feeling about the talk she and Harry were to have with him later.

When Ron got up to leave, Hermione let him know that Harry needed to talk to him about something. Reluctantly, he agreed to follow her out of the Great Hall. They didn't have to go to far because Harry was turning the corner before they had taken more than three steps. Hermione could tell by the look on his face that Dumbledore had annoyed him during the meeting, making her even more doubtful that the talk with Ron would go well. Sighing, she led them to an unused classroom, closing and warding the door before turning to face her two friends. They all took seats and sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"How come you didn't come to dinner last night?" Ron asked suspiciously, breaking the quiet.

"How come you didn't wait up for me with Hermione yesterday after the task?" Harry countered.

"How come that Delacour lady only wanted to talk to you in private? I helped save Gabrielle too." Ron's tone was bitter.

Harry sighed in frustration. "And here I was thinking that you actually learned your lesson about you and your jealousy toward me."

"You're the git always trying to hog all the glory as if you did everything on your own."

"First of all, you know that is not the truth. Secondly, I distinctly remember Madame Delacour thanking you for helping Gabrielle as well."

"Then why did she only want to talk to you?"

"She had to ask me something. I'd tell you what if you weren't being such a prat."

Ron scoffed at Harry. "What could she want to talk to you about that needed to be done in private?"

Hermione decided to interject to try and stop the argument before it got worse. "You two please calm down so we can talk about this rationally. You're supposed to be friends."

"Why should I calm down?" Ron shouted, getting up from his chair. "Every time we have some sort of adventure, Harry's the only one who gets recognized for it. Everyone always wants to thank and reward him, yet I get shoved to the side as if I didn't do anything."

"You know that's not true Ron," Hermione declared as she tried to get Ron to see reason. "We all got recognized for the adventures we went on for the past three years. They call us the "golden trio" for a reason. We all get credit for what happens at the end of the school year, for better or worse. Plus, Madame Delacour did thank you for your part in saving Gabrielle and you know it. Besides, you should know better than anyone that Harry doesn't even like the fame he gets. In fact, he hates it most of the time."

Unfortunately, this only inflamed Ron's anger. "Of course, you're taking his side, just like you always do. Harry always gets what he wants. Becoming seeker in our first year, getting a Nimbus 2000, getting a firebolt, and now being a Triwizard champion." Then he turned to face Harry, a cruel sneer forming on his face. "You always try to act like you're so humble and everything, but it's not real. You get everything you want, and you know it."

After dealing with Dumbledore trying to control his life once again, Harry couldn't contain his anger. "You still don't get it, do you? How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want all of this? I don't want to be in this stupid tournament! I don't want everyone to know my name and think that they have the right to tell me how I'm supposed to live my life! I don't want this bloody scar and the fame it comes with because all it has done is make my life harder! I'd trade it all if it meant I could have my parents back!" Ron tried to reply, but Harry wasn't done just yet as he stood up and walked toward him. "You want my life so bad, but you still don't even realize what it's really like. You don't know what it's like to live with people who hate you and make sure you know it every single time you're in their presence. You don't know what it's like to have to deal with the scars, physical and mental. You don't know what it's like to have a tiny cupboard under the stairs as your 'bedroom' that you get locked into just for existing. You don't know what it's like to be thrust into a world that has all of these expectations of you and blames you when things go wrong. You don't know what it's like to feel like you have the world on your shoulders, to carry that burden. You wouldn't last one minute in my life." Harry moved closer to Ron as he spoke until only a foot of space separated them.

Ron's response only made things worse. "Oh, poor Harry," Ron mocked. "You know what, I don't care anymore. I'm sick of you complaining about what you don't have when my family can't afford to get new things like you. You think I should feel bad for you when you got to spend the night with a veela whore…"

He wasn't able to say anything else because he was too busy falling down to the ground from Harry's fist that had just impacted his right cheek. "Don't you ever talk about her like that in front of me," Harry warned coldly, his voice quiet and his tone full of steel. Hermione grabbed Harry's arm to stop him from attacking Ron any further. "Whatever friendship you thought we had, is over and there's no chance of it coming back. Do yourself a favor and stay out of my way, because next time, I won't be so lenient."

Without sparing his ex-friend another glance, Harry stormed out of the room. Hermione stayed behind for moment, looking down at Ron still sprawled on the ground with his hand covering the right side of his face. "Even after all of these years, you still haven't learned anything about him." She turned around and walked out of the room, pausing at the door as she thought of one last remark. "By the way, what Harry said goes for me as well, just in case you're too thick enough to figure that out on your own."

\- S.P.P.O.S –

While Harry and Hermione were downsizing from the "golden trio" into the "golden duo," Appoline had flooed over to her mother's house, leaving Fleur and Gabrielle in the carriage. Her mother, Colette, was sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, waiting for her. She looked up from the book she was reading when her daughter arrived, an expectant look on her face.

"Bonjour my daughter. How did Fleur do in the task?" Colette greeted. When she noticed the unease displayed on Appoline's face, however, she grew concerned. "What is the matter, ma chère? Are the girls okay?"

Appoline sighed and sat down beside her mother before replying. "Oui, they are okay, though Fleur got hurt. Those imbéciles in charge of that bête tournament thought it was a good idea to send a veela into a merpeople village. Then, they took Gabrielle down there as her hostage to rescue. Without my permission. If it weren't for Harry…" Appoline trailed off as the reality of how close she had been to losing both of her daughters hit her. She leaned into the open arms of her mother and sobbed for several moments.

Colette held Appoline tightly and whispered words of reassurance and comfort into her hair until she calmed. "What happened?" she asked once Appoline had calmed down enough.

"A few minutes after the task began, a merman used a swarm of grindylows to ambush Fleur," Appoline began. "They tried to kill her, but Harry managed to get to her in time and save her, though she received some lacerations from the attack. She couldn't continue, so Harry promised that he would save Gabby. He did, though he was injured because the merpeople chased after them. He was pierced in the side by one of their enchanted daggers and barely made it out of there alive. I owe him everything for what he did yesterday."

While Colette was angry for the danger her precious granddaughters were placed in, she realized the repercussion of Harry's actions. "The Veela Debt has been activated," she stated plainly.

Appoline nodded. "Oui. I've already informed him about what it is and his options to resolve it."

"And what did he choose?"

A small smile formed on Appoline's face as she remembered Harry's actions the previous night. "He chose to marry me, without even contemplating the other options. Even when I told him I would be willing to sacrifice my magic or freedom to spare him, he refused my offer. There was no hesitation in his decision."

Colette smiled in return. "Then he truly is an honorable young man. When will I get to meet your future spouse?"

"We, including the girls and his best friend, plan on coming to see you and Paulette next Sunday. I'm going to see her after I leave here to tell her about it."

"Good. I can't wait."

"You promise that you won't give him a hard time?"

"Don't worry, Appoline. He has saved the three most important people in my life while risking his. Even though we have not met, he has already earned my respect." Then a mischievous smile formed on her face. "Though I will have to tease him a bit."

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

Appoline talked to her mother for another hour before leaving. Knowing that Paulette would be at work, she apparated to, in her opinion, the best clothing and accessory store in the world. Paulette owned it and sold much more modern clothing for all seasons and occasions, both magical and muggle. In fact, she designed many of the styles as well as the enchantments for comfort and durability herself. There was nowhere else Appoline went for clothes and it was the place she planned on taking Harry next weekend.

"Excuse me, Adele. Where is Paulette? I need to talk to her urgently," Appoline asked the first shop attendant she saw.

"She's in her office at the moment," Adele replied.

Appoline thanked her before quickly making her way there. Without even knocking on the door, she entered the room to see her friend sitting at the desk.

"Pol, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be at Hogwarts with the girls," Paulette asked in concern as Appoline sat down in the chair across from her.

"I know, but a lot happened yesterday that I need to tell you about," Appoline began before retelling the story about what happened during the second task.

To say that Paulette was upset was an understatement. Fleur and Gabrielle were her goddaughters and she would do anything to protect them. The fact that those in charge of the tournament had placed them in unnecessary danger infuriated her. "I can't believe that they actually thought that was a good idea! Did none of them realize just how serious the war between veela and merpeople was? The worst part is that Madame Maxine willingly put her own student in danger like that. She knows better than that. I'm starting to wonder if the British tendency for stupidity is contagious."

"Me as well. I made sure to let Madame Maxine know just how angry and disappointed I am with her. I don't know if I'll be able to forgive her for this."

"You shouldn't. If it weren't for Harry, they would both be dead and all those imbèciles would have offered you would have been their insincere apologies and condolences." Paulette took a deep breath to try and calm down before looking back up at her friend, noticing the hesitation on her face. "There's more that happened, isn't there?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything until I'm done."

"Pol, you know you can tell me anything. Are you in trouble?"

"Not exactly, it's just… when Harry saved the girls and because he has already saved my life, he activated a rare veela phenomenon called the Veela Debt," Appoline said before launching into a detailed description of it and the methods of resolving it.

"Oh wow. You're waiting on him to make a decision then?"

Just like with her mother, a small smile formed on her face. "No, he chose to marry me. He didn't even hesitate, even after I told him I was willing to give up my magic or freedom."

Paulette gave Appoline an amused smirk. "So, when do I get to finally meet the young hero who has captured your affections."

Appoline rolled her eyes at her friend, though she didn't deny it. After all, she was going to be married to him soon enough. "We, along with the girls and his best friend, will be coming on Sunday. There is one more thing, though. He lived with relatives who are despicable and refused to buy him anything, including his own clothes."

"Say no more. You will have full use of my shop. If there's anything either of you want custom made, just let me know." Paulette thought for a second before adding something else. "I will also get started on designing both of your wedding attires."

Appoline pulled her friend into a grateful hug. "Thank you, Lettie."

"That's what best friends are for," Paulette replied before pulling back with a mischievous expression appeared on her face. "Now do tell me more about your young savior and soon-to-be-husband who you've been hiding from me."

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

Hermione found Harry in the owlery stroking Hedwig's feathers after she had made a detour to the common room to pick up a few things. He seemed to have calmed down some, though she could still feel the tension around him.

"I brought you some parchment and ink to write your letter to Lisette. I also got your mirror so we can call Padfoot and Moony," she stated, deciding not to bring up what happened with Ron for the moment.

"Thanks Hermione. Let me just write this and then we can call them," Harry replied, shaking himself out of his funk. He took a few moments to decide the best way to tell Lisette about the situation. Eventually he realized that she would be shocked no matter what, so he simply wrote everything that had happened. Hermione helped fill in any details he forgot about. Twenty minutes later, Hedwig was flying off with the letter. "Alright let's call the mutt and the wolf."

The two Marauder's faces appeared in the mirror soon enough. After they all greeted each other, Sirius asked the expected question. "So, Pup, how did the meeting go with the lovely Appoline?" When he saw the serious look on the two students' faces, he grew concerned. "What happened?"

Harry looked at Hermione silently communicating with her for a few seconds. "I'll explain it to them Harry." Then she turned back to them. "It's a bit of a long story…" She started off with reminding them that Harry rescued Appoline and pointed out that Fleur and Gabrielle were still immature veela before explaining what the Veela Debt was. Harry jumped in to give more details on his conversation with Appoline and what he had decided. Hermione finished up by describing their meeting with the Delacours during breakfast and the decisions and plans they'd made. When she was done, the two men needed a moment to get over their shock.

"Wow, Pup, you can't help but get into the most unlikely situations," Sirius remarked seriously.

"How are you taking all of this, Cub?" Remus asked in concern.

Harry shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Honestly, I don't really know how to feel about it. I'm getting married and I don't really know anything about that kind of relationship. Yet, I know I'm doing the right thing. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let Appoline lose her magic and I respect her too much to make her my slave even though I know I wouldn't treat her like one."

"You have your mother's heart Harry, that's for sure," Remus said. "I think if you follow it, you'll be just fine."

"Remus is right, Harry. It won't be easy, but if anyone can do it, it's you," Sirius added sincerely before his tone turned mischievous. "Look on the bright side: you managed to snag beautiful woman who obviously cares about you. And you're only fourteen. How many men can claim that?"

Hermione let out an exasperated noise while Harry and Remus shook their heads at his godfather. "Yeah, well it's not as simple as that, but I guess at least she's not a stranger to me," Harry admitted.

"That's the spirit!" Sirius exclaimed, earning eye rolls from everyone else.

"Anyway, we plan on coming to see you two on Saturday, so you'll have to have the password ready for Hermione and the Delacours," Harry said.

"No problem, Pup. We'll see you and your new family then," Sirius replied.

"Try to stay positive, Cub, and remember that you don't have to face this situation alone," Remus added.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

For lunch, Harry and Hermione met Fleur and Gabrielle in front of the Great Hall with a picnic basket and blanket curtesy of Dobby. Gabrielle ran to Harry excitedly when she saw the basket and grabbed his hand to lead him outside.

"I take it we're having lunch away from the general population, then?" Fleur asked Hermione with a raised eyebrow. She could feel the tension surrounding her two friends.

Hermione looked at Harry before responding. "Yes, it's safer, that way. I don't think Harry would be able to control his first impulse if anyone bothered you or Gabby at the moment."

"What happened?" Fleur asked as they began to follow the other two.

"First, Harry had to deal with Dumbledore trying to stick his nose in his business. Then after dealing with that, Ron lost his mind," Hermione replied as she released a deep breath in anger. "He… he let his jealousy control him yet again, ruining any chance of us being his friends any longer. It wouldn't have been so bad if…"

"What did he say?" Fleur asked when Hermione went quiet.

"He made a very derogative insinuation about your mother and the reason why Harry missed dinner last night," Hermione answered angrily.

Fleur understood what that meant. "How did Harry react?"

Hermione let out a dark chuckle. "He punched Ron so hard that he fell to the floor. I was concerned that he would keep going, but he managed to gain control of himself, instead warning the prat to stay away from you three."

"I'm sorry you lost your friend because of us," Fleur said sadly.

"It's not your fault that Ron's an idiot. Honestly, I'm sure that either he would have found another way to push Harry over the edge or Harry would have just had enough of his attitude at some point anyway," Hermione admitted. "Ron's never seen Harry as more than the boy-who-lived and befriended him so that he could benefit from his fame. Their friendship wouldn't have lasted for much longer. As for me, I only put up with him because of Harry."

Fleur nodded in understanding at that. She would have said more, but they had arrived at the spot Harry and Gabby had picked for their picnic.

"Look at the spot Papa picked!" Gabby exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the witches' hands so she could pull them over to sit down on the blanket. They were in a secluded area on the grounds that most people didn't know about. It was somewhere that Harry went when he needed to get away from all of the drama of the students.

As they sat down, Harry winced as he realized it wasn't the best idea to let Gabby call him "Papa" in public if they wanted to keep the situation a secret. "Hey Gabby, I know you're excited about me and your Maman getting married, but… well it's not a good idea if you call me Papa in public," he said gently.

Tears welled up in Gabby's eyes at his words. "You don't want to be my Papa?" she asked distraughtly as the tears started falling down her face.

Harry, acting on instinct, pulled the little girl into his arms and gently rocked her. "No, that's not what I meant Gabby. Of course, I want to be your Papa. It's just, there are some bad people out there who would try to stop me and Maman from getting married if they found out before the wedding."

"Can I call you Papa when we're alone?" Gabby asked hopefully.

"Yes. When we're in public or around other people though, you have to call me Harry, okay?"

"Okay, I promise," Gabby agreed, a smile back on her face.

Fleur and Hermione gave him proud smiles at his handling of the situation. "You're going to make a good father," Fleur remarked.

"Would you believe it if I said I had no idea what I was doing? I kind of just acted," Harry admitted sheepishly.

"Your instincts rarely lead you wrong Harry. Haven't you figured that out by now?" Hermione asked shaking her head at his obliviousness.

After laughing at the blush on Harry's face good-naturedly, they started to eat the food Dobby had prepared for them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing away from everyone else. Harry and Gabby played several different games, most of them made up by Gabby, while Hermione and Fleur discussed complex theories about Arithmancy and Charms.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

Appoline returned back to the castle in time to have dinner with the rest of them, something they also had outside after Dobby brought them something to eat. Then, at a quarter to eight, Harry and Hermione walked the Delacours back to the carriages and then returned to the castle, to keep up appearances. Harry made sure to walk Hermione back to the Gryffindor common room before heading over to Minerva's office. He knocked on the door twice and waited for her to tell him to come in before entering the room, firmly shutting the door behind him.

"Good evening Mr. Potter. How are you feeling after your ordeal yesterday? I had meant to come check on you, but I was a little busy telling Dumbledore off and you were a bit hard to find after that," Minerva said as Harry sat down in the chair across from her.

Harry ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry about that. I would have come and seen you, but I was pretty knackered when I got back to the dorms. Then I had to talk to someone privately, which is why I missed dinner, not that I wanted to go to the Great Hall anyway. I'm feeling alright though, just a little sore where the dagger pierced me."

"I'm glad to hear that you're okay. You had me a bit worried, though I know that Poppy wouldn't have let you go if you weren't okay. Now, what seems to be bothering you that requires you to come see me in secret?" Minerva asked as she set her papers that she'd been working on to the side.

"It's a bit of a long story, but I have to ask you something before I continue," Harry replied.

"You know you can ask me anything, Harry," Minerva said, sensing his seriousness.

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay, if I asked you to keep something from Dumbledore, would you do it?"

Minerva peered at him intently for a moment. "Yes."

He looked at her in surprise, not having expected for her to agree so quickly. "Really?"

"Yes," she confirmed before explaining herself further. "I… I have been thinking long and hard about the headmaster's decisions since I started teaching you privately in your second year. I've come to the conclusion that he does not have the best interests of anyone in mind except for whatever grand plan he has concocted. When your name came out of the Goblet, it was the last straw for me. That's why I started training you even harder and taught you Occlumency. If you have to participate in a tournament that you never should have been entered into, I'm going to make sure that you come out of it alive. So, no, I have no problem whatsoever with keeping things from the headmaster."

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks Professor."

"You're welcome Harry and please call me Minerva or Aunt Min when we're in private. Now, what is it that you want to keep hidden from the headmaster?" she asked.

"Hold on one moment. There's someone else who needs to be here for that conversation," Harry said before summoning Dobby. "You can bring her here now." Minerva raised her eyebrow at him but kept silent. A moment later, Dobby returned with Appoline in tow before popping away again. Harry stood back up to make the introductions. "Pro…Aunt Min please meet Madame Appoline Delacour, an amazing healer, mother, and friend. Appoline, this is Professor Minerva McGonagall, the finest teacher at this institution and a Transfiguration genius."

Both women rolled their eyes at his grandiose declaration before turning to face each other. "It's a pleasure to meet you Professor McGonagall. Harry's spoken very highly of you," Appoline said, holding her hand out to Minerva as Harry sat back down.

"It's good to meet you as well, though Harry has not told me that he knew you. You can call me Minerva by the way," Minerva replied, shaking the offered hand.

"Only if you call me Appoline," Appoline said before sitting down next to Harry, turning to face him with a teasing smile. "So, you've been keeping me a secret then. I wonder why that is."

Harry tried to get his blush under control before responding. "I did tell Aunt Min about you, just not who you were."

"This is the woman who you helped during the attack after the Quidditch World Cup?" Minerva stated in recognition.

Appoline arched her eyebrow at Harry before answering Minerva. "Helped is an understatement. I owe him my life."

Harry looked down bashfully. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time is all."

Appoline looked at Minerva in amusement. "Is it always this hard to get him to accept that he did something praise worthy?"

"Unfortunately, yes. He's modest to a fault and has a strong tendency to understate his actions and their results," Minerva replied before moving them back to the point of the meeting. "While it's nice to properly meet you Appoline, I don't believe you came here just for that."

"No, there were some unintended consequences as a result of yesterday's events," Appoline began. "Have you ever heard of a Veela Debt?" When Minerva replied in the negative, she gave her an explanation.

Minerva, being the intelligent witch that she was and having good knowledge of Harry's character, was able to understand the situation after a few seconds. "You and Harry will be getting married within four months because he activated this Veela Debt after saving the lives of you and both of your daughters who are still underage in terms of veela, yes?"

"Exactly," Appoline replied, only mildly surprised at how quickly Minerva figured it out. Harry may understate his own qualities, but he doesn't have that problem when describing others.

"Very well. I will do everything I can to help you, starting with giving you access to my personal floo whenever you need it. It's warded to prevent anyone, including Dumbledore, from learning when it's used or who uses it."

Harry spoke up next to inform Minerva about their plans for the next weekend. After only a moment's hesitation he asked her a question that was on his mind. "Would you like to come with us Saturday?

Minerva was a bit shocked by the question and took a moment to regain her composure. When she didn't answer after a minute had passed, Harry became worried that he had overstepped his boundaries and was quick to back track. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You don't have to…"

Minerva placed her hand on his from across the desk. "I'm not saying no Harry, I'm just a bit surprised. Why do you want me to come?"

"Well, it's just that we're supposed to be using the weekend to meet and get to know each other's family. I figured Appoline should spend time with all of my family. Plus, I can use all the help I can get when I go to Gringotts," Harry replied seriously.

A warm smile lit Minerva's face at his words. "Then I would be honored to come with you on Saturday."

Harry smiled back in return.

\- S.P.P.O.S. –

After they finished talking with her, Minerva left Harry and Appoline in her office as she retired to her quarters. The two talked for about twenty minutes longer with him telling her what Minerva said about Dumbledore. He also let her know that she could call for Dobby any time she needed anything.

When Appoline was popped back to the carriage via Dobby, Gabby was already asleep while Fleur was watching over her.

"How did the meeting go?" Fleur asked once her mother was sitting on the bed.

"It went very well. Minerva agreed to help us with whatever we needed and gave us full access to her private floo. After the way she described Dumbledore to Harry, we don't have to worry about her telling him anything," Appoline replied. "Thank you for watching Gabby today."

"You're welcome, but Harry did more of the watching since lunch. She was practically glued to his side for the rest of the day. He's really good with her, even managed to stop her before she went into one of her crying fits," Fleur remarked.

Appoline gave Fleur a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Harry realized something that we should have thought about ahead of time – Gabby can't call him 'Papa' in public if we want to keep all of this a secret," Fleur said, making Appoline mentally face-palm before gesturing for Fleur to continue. "When he told her that, Gabby took it to mean that he didn't want to be her papa and started to cry. Instead of freaking out like expected from someone with very little experience with kids, he immediately pulled her into his lap and hugged her until she calmed down so he could explain what he meant. He did really good at explaining it in a way that she could understand, and she promised to only call him that in private." Appoline agreed that his actions were impressive due to his inexperience.

A few minutes later, Fleur left to go to bed and Appoline made sure to ward her room for privacy before getting ready to go to sleep. Just as she got ready to lay down, Gabby started thrashing around in the bed in the throes of a nightmare. Quickly, she pulled her daughter into her arms and rocked her as she spoke soothing words to calm her down and wake her up.

After ten minutes, Gabby finally woke up, but she still wasn't calm. Gabby kept whispering something over and over, but she said it so fast that Appoline couldn't understand her.

"What is it, mon bébé? You have to say it a little slower so I can understand you," Appoline said gently.

"I want Papa," Gabby said in a fearful tone. "Can Papa come here, please?"

"I don't know if he's awake right now," Appoline said hesitantly.

"Please Maman, I need to see Papa," Gabby pleaded.

Appoline saw the look of pure desperation in her daughter's eyes and knew she couldn't deny her. She panicked for a few seconds as she tried to think of a way to contact Harry before she remembered that Harry said she could ask Dobby for help. Sighing in relief, she called for the house-elf who appeared a second later.

"How can I help you Mistress?" Dobby asked.

"Can you please see if Harry is awake? Gabby just had a bad nightmare and she really wants to see him," Appoline requested.

"No problem Mistress. I'll be right back," Dobby said right before he popped away.

"Don't worry Gabby, Dobby's going to get Harry," Appoline reassured her daughter. Gabby was still crying inconsolably as they waited.

Meanwhile, Harry was laying down in his bed in the dorms reflecting on all that had happened during the day. He and the others had made initial plans for his upcoming wedding, starting with a meet-and-greet with their respective family and a trip to Gringotts. Then, he told off his headmaster and punched his ex-best friend for being a jealous prat, ending the latter relationship and straining the former even more. He also secretly worried that they wouldn't be able to keep anyone from finding out despite their best efforts and wondered how the rest of the world would react when it all came out. _The next few months are going to be interesting, that's for sure_, he thought.

He was lost in his thoughts when Dobby popped in front of him and almost jumped out of his bed at the elf's arrival. "What's wrong Dobby?" he asked in alarm.

"Miss Gabby had a bad nightmare and is asking for you so Mistress wanted to know if you could come see her." Dobby replied, urgency in his tone.

Harry didn't verbally respond at first. He quickly threw on a pair of sweatpants, t-shirt, and his wand holster before turning back to face the elf. "Alright, I'm ready now."

Dobby grabbed Harry's hand before popping them back to the carriage, leaving almost immediately after.

Appoline sighed in relief at his arrival. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"No problem," Harry replied before sitting down on the bed with his back to the headboard. Gabby immediately crawled into his lap and clung onto him, burying her head in his chest. "It's okay Gabby, I'm right here so you have nothing to be afraid of." He continued to whisper soothing words while he rocked her until she calmed down. "Do you want to tell me what your nightmare was about?"

"It was about when the merpeople were chasing us," Gabby said quietly. "But this time you couldn't get away and they…" she trailed off with a sob, clinging even tighter to him. She didn't have to continue for Harry or Appoline to guess at the rest.

"That must have been really scary, huh?" Harry asked her gently.

"Yes," Gabby answered, her voice small.

Harry gently lifted her face so he could look her in the eyes. "But as bad as it was, it was just a dream. I'm still here and the merpeople weren't able to get me or you. As scary as it all was, we made it out of there okay."

"Were you scared too?" Gabby asked.

Harry nodded. "Of course, I was. They put you, someone I care a lot about, in danger. I was afraid I wouldn't get there in time, but I was able to put that to the side because you needed me."

Appoline, who had been watching from the side decided to interject here. "It's okay to be afraid Gabby. We all feel that way sometimes, even me. I was afraid then too. But you two and Fleur are all alive and safe. Okay?"

Gabby nodded in response. Appoline moved closer to them, her leg touching Harry's, so she could run her fingers through Gabby's hair as the little veela started to truly calm down. The three of them sat like that in silence for several moments, taking comfort in each other's presence. When he saw Gabby starting to fall back asleep, he tried to get up to leave, gently pulling his arm from underneath her.

Before he could get far, she woke back up and made an unexpected request of Harry.

"Can you stay here tonight?" she asked sleepily.

"Umm…" Harry said, looking at Appoline for help. He didn't know how to answer that.

"Please Papa," Gabby pleaded.

Appoline, seeing that he was still unsure, tried to assuage his worries. "It's fine with me, if that's what you're concerned about."

"Okay, I'll stay," he decided after giving Appoline one more look to make sure she was okay with it. Then he asked Dobby to come wake him in the morning so know one would notice him being missing.

Once that was done, the three of them got situated in the bed. Gabby got in the middle and snuggled up to Harry, her head laying on his chest, falling asleep soon after. The other two had a harder time going back to sleep. Harry was trying to get used to having someone else in the bed with him while Appoline was contemplating his actions regarding Gabby.

"You did very well Harry. It seems like fatherhood comes naturally to you," Appoline remarked, breaking the silence that had enveloped the room.

"If you say so, though I really don't know what I'm doing," Harry replied, echoing his sentiments from earlier.

"No parent is perfect, so you shouldn't expect yourself to be, especially since this situation came completely by surprise," Appoline explained. "You'll make mistakes – I sure have – but you care about her and you've demonstrated that you would risk your life to protect her. You've also shown that want her to be happy. That's the important part. The rest will come with time and experience."

"I guess," Harry admitted, though he still felt like he was way in over his head.

Appoline chuckled lightly at him. "Look on the bright side, at least she already adores you."

Harry laughed with her before becoming contemplative. "What about Fleur though? I mean we're already friends but now…"

"Now you're technically going to be her beau-père?" Appoline finished knowingly. He nodded reluctantly. "My advice to you is this – don't change your relationship. You're very good friends so there's no need to change anything due to a technicality. It will make things unnecessarily awkward, especially since she is older than you. Besides, she already respects you as a mans and that's more than most in your situation could ask for."

Harry lay his head back, feeling better after her words. "Okay. I'll just take it one day at a time then. After all, planning ahead isn't my strong suit anyway." They were quiet for a moment both contemplating the past two days. "You know what? This is the first time I haven't slept alone. I should probably warn you I sometimes have nightmares," Harry spoke quietly, a bit ashamed.

She moved her hand so she could run it through his hair soothingly. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, everyone has them sometimes and you have more reason than most due to no fault of your own." Acting on instinct she leaned over and gently kissed his cheek, causing the tension inside of him to dissipate almost immediately. "But you don't have to worry about them tonight, I'll be right here if you need me."

Harry fell asleep shortly after that, a small, contented smile on his face. Appoline stayed awake for a bit longer before also drifting off thinking about her family – old and soon-to-be-official.

* * *

Translations of French words:

ma chère – my dear

Imbéciles – imbeciles

mon bébé – my baby

beau-père – stepfather


End file.
